Impossibly Insufferable
by Riiko Shea
Summary: Ron and Hermione have been fighting, and Ginny and Harry are sick of it. So the four make a bet that Ron and Hermione can't live in the same house for two weeks without one walking out... or them getting back together. Complete.
1. The Bet

**A/N: **Hello again! This idea came to me… well… actually, I don't remember when. But I've been dying to do a Ron/Hermione story, so I leapt at the chance when I got what I thought was a good idea.

Anyways, please read and review and let me know what you think!

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**Impossibly Insufferable**

**Chapter One**

**The Bet**

"I dare you to say that again!"

"Fine! You're bossy!"

"You make me so angry!"

Harry groaned and buried his head in Ginny's shoulder. He felt it bounce as she laughed softly. "I'm glad you find them ripping each other's heads off amusing," he commented dryly.

Ginny snorted. "Have you _felt_ the sexual tension between the two of them? I mean, come on. They're just _dying_ to go at it."

Harry lifted his head and met Ginny's eyes. "So that's what you call it?"

She laughed again and he sighed, both of them leaning back again the head of Harry's bed, where they had been previously sitting.

Now someone pounded up the stairs. From the amount of swearing, it was most likely Ron. Harry smirked as Ron's bedroom door slammed shut. He looked at Ginny. "'Dying to go at it', eh? I think you need to rethink that statement."

"Not true," Ginny insisted. But she did look a tad thoughtful as they slipped off Harry's bed, straightened their clothes, and crept downstairs.

Hermione was in the kitchen with a mug of tea. Her irritation clearly knew no bounds right now, as her white-knuckled grip suggested. Ginny sank down across from her.

"Have another fight with Ron?"

"Yes I bloody did," snapped Hermione. "He is impossibly insufferable, and if my parents weren't insistent upon me staying here until they get back from their holiday in France, I'd be out of here in a moment."

"You barely even talk to each other anymore, and when you do, it's only to fight," said Harry incredulously. "I mean, you guys went out with each other! How is it that bad living in the same house? Just ignore him!"

"Have you ever tried to ignore Ronald?" Hermione asked. Harry blinked, remembering fights he had had with Ron, but decided, based on Hermione's face, that now was not the time to bring them up. "I thought not. He's rather too big and bumbling to be ignored."

Ginny groaned and put her head in her hands. "Yes, then why ignore him? Hermione, it's painfully obvious that-"

"If you say 'That you're meant to be together' I swear I will make you regret it," snarled Hermione, her eyes wild. Suddenly, a door banged open upstairs, and Ron yelled, "And the spell she used was the Memory Charm!

"Wrong! That was in third year, Ronald!" Hermione screeched back. "Fourth year she just Confunded the man!"

The door upstairs banged shut again. Harry shook his head. The two of them were bringing back ridiculous arguments from years ago, just to be able to scream at the other for something.

Suddenly, Hermione shouted, "I got a letter from Viktor, Ron! Just today!"

Ron's door banged open again and he shouted, "Yeah? Well, I saw Lavender last night. She's doing quite well!"

Harry waited, but didn't hear Ron's door close. He glanced at Ginny, an amused smirk on his face. However, Ginny had a thoughtful expression on her face. He blanched. She was plotting something, and indeed, when she glanced at him, and her eyes were lit with mischief.

Before Harry could process this, Ginny snapped, "Listen to the two of you! I bet you couldn't even live in the same house, alone, for two weeks, without one of you walking out."

"What?" Hermione looked perplexed. "What do you mean?"

"Yeah!" echoed Ron, stomping down the stairs, clearly having been listening. "What do you mean?"

"Exactly what I said," answered Ginny. "Harry and I-"

"Hang on a sec, Gin. Don't drag me into this…"

"Hush. Harry and I bet you two that you can't live in the same house for two weeks without one of you walking out… or getting back together."

"What house?" asked Ron. Hermione looked appalled.

"What?! Ginevra Weasley! What are you-"

"The Burrow," Ginny shot back. "Mum and Dad are on a holiday, Percy and Penelope are at their flat, and George and Angelina are visiting Charlie with Bill and Fleur. You'll be alone, confined to the house, for two weeks to prove you can get along with each other."

"What about you and Harry?" asked Hermione. Harry thought she sounded a tad bit desperate.

"Oh, we'll take the tent and go camping or something," sighed Ginny. "So, is it a bet?"

Hermione bit her lip, but Ron showed no hesitation. "Deal," he said, shaking Ginny's hand. "Wait, what are we betting?"

"Hmm… got it!" Ginny smirked. "Losing couple has to take Professor Trelawney out to dinner!"

"Have fun, then, you two," laughed Ron. "Anyways, I've got stuff to do, so I'll see you later."

"Oh no you don't," said Ginny, stepping in front of her brother. "House arrest for two weeks."

Suddenly Hermione, who had gotten up during this discussion looking slightly dazed, tripped and fell into Ron. He caught her, before releasing her like she had burned him as soon as she was steady.

"It's on now," whispered Harry, as Hermione and Ron glared at each other. The next two weeks might just be fun, he thought.

* * *

Harry and Ginny left the next day, taking the new tent the Weasleys had purchased a few weeks ago with them. Ginny took Harry by Side-along Apparition to a field a few miles from the Burrow, where the two of them set up the tent.

Once they were reclining on two chairs in the clean, cheery tent, so unlike the one Harry had been trapped in for months three years ago, Ginny pulled something from her bag. It was a camera, into which she plugged a large panel with a joystick, several dozen buttons, and two large knobs. Harry blinked at it.

"What's that?"

"This, my dear," said Ginny, sounding slightly evil, "is a Muggle video camera combined with… I don't know, a sort of spelled radio transmitter… George did it for me." She tapped the camera with her wand so that a picture bloomed in the air above it. Harry frowned. The only thing to be seen was black.

"So…"

Ginny started fooling with the joystick, and the hit a red button. There was a humming sound, and suddenly the screen lit up, revealing old dolls and stuffed bears. Ginny's toy chest.

"This," Ginny explained, "is the camera I left in the house. I know that neither Ron or Hermione would lie to us about the outcome of the bet… well, Ron might, but not Hermione. I also know that neither of them will tell us what exactly went on. So I had George make these two cameras. This one shows what that one," she nodded to the screen, "is seeing. I left it hidden in my toy chest."

Harry scooted over and looked at the panel interestedly. "This panel can control that camera?"

"Yeah… I'm not sure what everything does, but I know the joystick is steering, the green button makes it rise, the purple makes it lower, and the knobs zoom in and out."

"Nice," said Harry appreciatively. "We're going to get quite a show, hm?"

Ginny grinned at him. "Without a doubt."

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**A/N: **Review!

))Riiko Shea((


	2. Week One, Day One

**A/N: **WHOA. That was amazing. Within an hour of posting the first chapter of "Impossibly Insufferable" I had seven reviews. And now I have eleven. I am incredibly grateful to all of you who read and reviewed, and I hope I don't disappoint you with my next chapter.

I'm going to set up the story like this: Ginny and Harry (in 3rd person) then Ron and Hermione in 1st person (alternating between Ron and Hermione every chapter), and then Ginny and Harry again. My reasoning for the whole 1st person thing is because in the beginning, Hermione and Ron won't have a ton of dialogue, so I think the story will be more interesting if that part is in first person.

Also, each chapter covers a day- they're kind of short, but I can update faster that way….

Anyways, tell me what you think! (Shutting up now.)

**Disclaimer: **It isn't mine.

**Impossibly Insufferable**

**Chapter 2**

**Week One, Day One**

Ginny started navigating the camera, steering it to her bedroom door. Accelerating it quickly, she guided the camera to push against her door so it creaked open. Harry leaned forward, watching Ginny move the joystick, holding the green button to steer it down the stairs to the kitchen where they had left Hermione and Ron.

))((

**Hermione**

Ron and I hadn't moved since Harry and Ginny had left. I watched the door through which the two had disappeared not too long ago. How could they do this to me?

But it wasn't really their fault. I turned to glare to Ron, who had just gotten up to place his plate from breakfast in the sink. It was all Ron's fault. Him and his ridiculous male mindset, unable to resist a challenge, no matter how ridiculous! I growled under my breath, and then couldn't restrain myself any longer.

I clutched my mug of tea, stood, and walked over to where Ron had his back turned. Unceremoniously, I upended my tea on his head. Ron whirled around, his eyes wide and furious, his hair damp and slightly steaming, the teabag swinging from his ear.

"WHAT THE BLOODY HELL? GODDAMMIT…. HERMIONE…" Ron seemed unable to form a coherent sentence. I folded my hands in front of me, one still holding the now-empty mug.

Finally, Ron took a deep breath and cleaned himself off with his wand. He then locked eyes with me. "What was that for?" he asked. His voice was calm, to my surprise. However, I disregarded that fact in order to explain to him what, exactly, that had been for.

"That was for getting us into this mess!" I snapped. "Because of you, I'm now stuck in the same house as you, ALONE, for two weeks!"

"Yeah, well, I'm not loving it either, and I'm the one covered in tea. You still seem rather dry. Who's got the worst end of the wand, eh?" Ron growled. I squirmed inwardly. The git _did _have a point.

Suddenly, though, Ron's wand was leveled at my face, and a spurt of water hit me square on. I swore and wiped my face on my sleeve. "That's it, Ronald," I hissed. "I'm leaving!"

I turned on my heel and marched to the door, but before I could touch the knob, Ron wrapped his arms around my waist and picked me up. I, yelped kicking at him, shouting, "Ronald Bilius Weasley, put me down NOW!"

Ron didn't reply, just dropped me into a chair by the table, leaning over and trapping me between his arms, clutching the table. I shrank back. His eyes were bight, his face slightly flushed, and his chest moving rapidly. "Listen," he muttered. "I know you hate this, okay? I do too. But I committed us to this. Do you really want to take Professor Trelawney out to dinner?"

"Compared to my other choice, it seems preferable," I snapped, pushing uselessly on his arms. They were unmovable. Ron growled.

"You stubborn… fine. What's going to happen if we lose? Ginny will lord over us for the rest of our lives. And," he added, "she's been bugging me about my '_feelings_ for you', so if we can get through these next two weeks, she'll leave me alone."

I sighed. "She's been doing the same to me," I groaned, and then I slumped. Ron quickly backed away from me, sinking down onto another chair.

Suddenly Ron realized the vague implications of what he'd said and snapped, "And she's not right, you know! I don't have feelings for you."

"And I _obviously_ don't have feelings for you," I hissed disdainfully, glaring at him.

"I never thought you did," Ron growled. "In fact, I consider myself lucky that I'm not the object of your perverse affections."

"Ohh, big word, Wonnie," I snarled. He made an obscene gesture and I glowered at him before I marched up to the room that I shared with Ginny. I slammed the door shut and sank down to the floor next to my bookshelf, putting my head in my hands.

Suddenly, slowly, I lifted my head from my hands with a devious grin. I stood and moved to Ginny's bed. Running my hands under the bed, I latched onto something and pulled out a large, lidded box. Dragging it to the center of the room, I knelt and pulled the lid off.

Inside were hundreds of pranking supplies, gifts to Ginny and I from George over the past three years from the shop. I grinned and dug in, finally pulling out my goal. A spider.

I unwrapped the directions from around the foreleg of the spider and looked at the directions. A stick figure was performing a spell as I read, "Make this motion while saying, "Mobiliarbus arachnae". Simple enough." I pointed my wand at the spider and said confidently, "_Mobiliarbus arachnae_."

The spider twitched before coming to life, moving with the motion of my wand. I laughed, guiding it around the room. After a moment, I ended the spell and slipped it in my pocket and trotted down to the kitchen.

Ron was still sitting in the kitchen, nursing a mug of coffee. He blinked in surprise when I entered the room, but he didn't say anything. Deciding to wait for a little before releasing the spider, to avoid suspicion, I made a cup of tea before turning to the table.

I staggered back a step. Ron was wearing a bright yellow raincoat, the hood pulled over his red hair, watching me. I bit my lip to keep from laughing, but my voice still came out as a sputter when I asked, "And what, exactly, are you wearing?"

Ron smirked at me. "You're making tea. Obviously, I wanted to prevent getting an unexpected dousing again. 'Constant vigilance', remember?"

I couldn't help it. I sank into a chair and burst out laughing. Ron grinned, looking slightly surprised at my reaction. A moment later, as I caught my breath, he tapped his spoon and Transfigured it into a bright pink umbrella, complete with huge daisies. I glanced at him and was in stitches again.

Finally, I stopped, breathing hard. Ron tapped his raincoat and umbrella, turning them back into the spoon and napkin they had been, a small smile on his face. We sat in silence at the table, until I realized what kind of silence it was.

Companionable silence, like it had been when we were younger, and best friends. Not the angry silence that had surrounded us so often as of late.

This, I decided, was not good. I didn't want him to think I liked him, or anything. And so, slowly, I slipped the spider out of my pocket and set it on the floor. When Ron took a drink of his coffee, I waved my wand under the table, whispering, "_Mobiliarbus arachnae_."

The spider twitched and came to life. Slowly, I guided it to Ron's foot and guided it up his leg, all the while watching his face.

His reaction was priceless. His eyes became confused as he looked down at his leg, before freaking out.

"BLOODY HELL!! SPIDER! GET IT OFF OF ME!" he screamed, leaping from the table. His coffee mug flew in an elegant parabola across the kitchen, coating it in the lukewarm brown liquid while he leapt around the kitchen, shaking his leg.

When that didn't work, Ron grabbed a heavy metal spatula from the counter, slamming the huge spider with it, all the while shrieking words that Mrs. Weasley would have had a fit about him saying.

After a moment, the spider couldn't hold any longer and fell off, hitting the ground with a clank. I roared with laughter, until I realized Ron wasn't speaking. I looked up. His head was bent, he was breathing hard, and the spatula was hanging by his side in his hand, which seemed to be shaking. "Ron?"

"That really wasn't funny," he muttered, glaring at me. I bit my lip as he stomped upstairs, but I could not bring myself to feel more than a modicum of guilt. After all, he was the scaredy-cat. It was his fault that he couldn't laugh it off.

I followed him up the stairs and shut myself in my room for the rest of the day.

))((

In the tent, Ginny, through tears of mirth, guided the camera after Hermione until her door shut. Confident that neither of them would venture out of their rooms until the next morning, she shut the camera down, turning to Harry, who was grinning broadly.

"I had forgotten about that box of tricks!" giggled Ginny. "Smart Hermione!"

"Yeah, except Ron is never going to forgive her," Harry answered, opening his arms. Ginny snuggled onto his lap.

"Wrong," she predicted. "You saw how happy he was when he made her laugh. He could never stay mad at Hermione for long."

Harry pursed his lips. "Maybe. You have more confidence in you brother than I do."

Ginny smirked. "I never thought that day would come," she commented dryly. "Ah, well, there's a first time for everything."

As night fell and they curled up on one of the beds, Ginny murmured, "I can't wait to see what happens tomorrow."

"No kidding," whispered Harry. "It's better than the wireless."

**A/N: **I hope you liked it… even if you didn't, please review!

))Riiko Shea((


	3. Week One, Day Two

**A/N: WOW.** That's all I can say. The response I have received for this story is amazing! I really, really appreciate it.

Thanks especially to the reviewer who reminded me that I hadn't yet explained that Ron and Hermione couldn't see the camera.

A lot of people complained about Hermione being mean, but let's not forget, Ron has a mischievous streak too…

**Impossibly Insufferable**

**Chapter 3**

**Week 1, Day 2**

The next morning, Ginny stretched, opening her eyes as Harry gently kissed the back of her neck. "Morning," he mumbled from behind her.

"Good morning," she yawned back. Slowly, she rolled off of the bed, stumbling to the tent's small bathroom to wash her face. When she was done, Harry walked in to do the same thing, leaving Ginny to change into jeans and a sweatshirt and make toast for breakfast.

Harry joined her at the table, nibbling on some toast as Ginny pulled out the bag she kept her camera in. As she set up the panel, Harry leaned his head on his hand. Suddenly, he sat bolt upright. "Wait just a second!"

Ginny froze and looked at him. "Yes?"

"How can Hermione and Ron not see the camera?" Harry asked, looking flummoxed, his toast halfway to his mouth. Ginny grinned.

"George gave me this stuff, called concealing powder. It's really only for things like stairs and stuff, but it worked for this when I tested it."

Harry rubbed the bridge of his nose. "That really doesn't help me at all," he sighed.

Ginny began to assemble the camera again, explaining to Harry, "When you put concealing powder on something, say, a camera, it makes it nearly impossible for the camera to be seen. You need to really know what you're looking for, and you need to look for it hard." Ginny plugged in the final cord. "Plus, it's nearly impossible to get off." She twiddled a dial. "George was going to sell it at the shop, but then he thought it would be too dangerous for the wrong person to get their hands on, so he gave what he had already made to me."

Harry nodded. "A rare moment of George Weasley wisdom," he smirked. He finished his piece of toast and took Ginny's, stuffing it in his mouth before she could take it back. She rolled her eyes at him before positioning her finger over the start button.

"Ready?" Ginny asked. Harry grinned.

"Let the show begin!"

))((

**Ron**

"Ngh… spiders…"

"RONALD!"

"BLOODY HELL!"

I rolled out of bed and banged my head on the floor. Groaning, I shouted downstairs, "WHAT, HERMIONE?"

"IF YOU WANT BREAKFAST," she shrieked back, "GET YOUR LAZY ARSE OUT OF BED!"

Grumbling, I stood, pulling on sweatpants and a tee-shirt. She had no reason to be yelling at me this morning; she wasn't the one who had dreamed of spiders all night.

I stomped downstairs, making my displeasure clearly known. Hermione glared at me from where she sat at the far end of the table; on the other end was a plate of toast and eggs. I blinked. This was a marginally better breakfast than I had hoped for.

I sat down and began eating. Hermione ate as well, not speaking to me. I felt slightly guilty, though, for the trouble I was going to cause her today, so I swallowed and said, "Thanks, Hermione."

She glanced up, surprised, but answered, "Um… you're welcome, Ronald."

We didn't say anything for a while, until Hermione said, out of the blue, "How's the Auror training?"

I nearly choked on my eggs, but managed not to. "Good," I responded. "Really busy. I don't think I've ever seen so much work before in my life. Well, except in Harry's bag and stuff. He has more work than I do."

Hermione grinned slightly. "Hasn't that always been the way, though?"

I gasped at her, pretending to be affronted. "Why, Hermione! How could you say such a thing?"

Her smile grew. "Well, it's the truth, isn't it? Harry's the Boy-Who-Lived. You're the Boy-Who-Lived's goofy sidekick."

"Well, you're his sidekick, too!" I pointed out, indignant. Hermione laughed.

"I suppose, but I'm not goofy! You can't even claim that, because it's so blatantly false."

I grinned and finished my eggs, wondering why this felt so strange. Suddenly I realized why.

We weren't fighting. We had just had a witty conversation like we used to, not one where we dissolved into screaming and flinging spells (or mugs of tea) at each other.

I sighed and quickly stood before this could escalate. At the rate the two of us were going, we'd definitely loose the bet to Harry and Ginny.

Thanking Hermione quickly I rushed upstairs, quickly shutting and locking my bedroom door before pulling out an old piece of parchment from my night table drawer. On it was a note passing session between me and Harry during History of Magic back when we were in our fourth year. I had found it a few weeks ago in an old textbook.

Sitting down, I reread the most important part, squinting to read Harry's spidery handwriting.

_I just found the coolest spell._

**Where?**

_Snuffles sent it to me._

**So you didn't find it.**

_Whatever. Do you want to know what it is or not?_

**Yeah, I want to know.**

_Clonus obstructus._

**That's it?**

_Yeah, you can create a wall across a door or hallway that looks identical to everything around it... it's pretty cool, I tried it on the bathroom door this morning._

**So **_**that's**_ **why Neville was freaking out and saying the bathroom had disappeared.**

_That would be why._

**Sick.**

Smirking, I crept from my bedroom. Downstairs, I could hear Hermione humming and washing the dishes. I was safe for a little while.

Silently, I stopped outside Hermione's room and drew a rectangle with my wand, whispering, "_Clonus obstructus_."

A moment later, the wall seemed to leak outward across the doorway, meeting seamlessly in the center, with the photos on the wall repositioning themselves accordingly. I grinned at the flawless performance. Next, I used the bathroom, before sealing it (no point in tempting fate).

When I was done with my pranking, I strolled down to the kitchen, and sat down at the table. Hermione was drying her hands. She glanced at me and then went upstairs without a word. Clearly she had realized what had happened this morning at breakfast and was taking measures to prevent that sort of thing happening again.

I waited, biting my lip at I listened to her creak up the stairs. I heard her stop where her door was. Then I heard her come back downstairs.

Hermione peeked her head around the door. "Ron?"

With a straight face, and I answered, "Yeah?"

"What floor is my room on?"

"Second landing with the wall with the picture of Percy and Penelope." Hermione nodded.

"Right." As she walked back upstairs, I allowed myself to smirk. I heard her stop outside her room again. After a moment, she called downstairs, "Ronald? Can you come upstairs for a moment?"

I swallowed a laugh before strolling casually upstairs. I halted at the landing where her room was to find her staring confusedly at the wall. "Yeah?"

She turned to face me. "Where is my room?"

I contemplated my answer, and then decided to have a little fun with her. "It's right there," I answered her, straight-faced. Hermione's eyebrows shot up and she turned back around. I could just imagine the look on her face as she strained to see the door.

"Um… are you certain?" she asked after a moment.

"Yes, Hermione," I sighed, biting the inside of my cheek to keep from laughing my head off. After another moment Hermione shook her head.

"I'm going to go… take a shower," she muttered, quickly going up another flight of stairs. I waited patiently, leaning against the wall opposite her room. A few minutes after her footsteps had halted outside what I knew was the bathroom, I heard her call, "Ronald, come up here, please!"

"Coming!" I called back. I pounded up the stairs, halting at the landing to see Hermione staring at the wall where the bathroom door usually was. "What?"

"Where is the bathroom?" asked Hermione. Her voice was tight, as if she were doubting her sanity. I snorted.

"This isn't funny anymore, Hermione," I sighed. "It's right there… oh damn."

The spell, as we watched, was wearing off. Slowly, the walls leeched away from the center of the doorway, exposing the bathroom. Hermione turned slowly and I backed up, praying that I wouldn't fall down the stairs.

"Care to explain, Ronald?" asked Hermione, her voice dangerous. "I was in fear of my SANITY for a moment there!"

I smiled, but I feared my wide eyes betrayed my inner terror at her words. "Um… I was testing an old spell Harry gave me?"

Hermione growled something incoherent before pulling out her wand. I winced as she flicked it at me, but nothing seemed to happen. "Hermione?"

She smirked. "Later, Ronald… don't bother me while I'm in the shower, all right?" With that she entered the bathroom and slammed the door in my face. I stared at the wood, scarred where Fred and George had thrown a pack of Exploding Snap cards when they were little, before turning and going upstairs.

When I entered my room, I sighed, flopping down on my bed. What a day. I had a feeling that I wouldn't be going downstairs until the next morning. That would be too dangerous. Hermione knew how to hold a grudge.

Turning onto my side, I faced the door, where my old mirror hung. It was scratched from where Harry had once run into it, trying to catch an escaped Chocolate Frog. Looking into it, I shrieked.

My face and hair were bright pink. No, the _brightest_ pink. On my forehead, in flashing neon colors, was the word "Payback" in Hermione's handwriting. I stared at myself for a good five minutes before standing up, throwing open my door, and stomping downstairs.

Pausing outside the bathroom, I listened. The water wasn't running. Good. I threw open the door and marched into the steamy room, shouting, "HERMIONE! Take this spell off NOW or I will- oh crap."

"RONALD!" Hermione had whirled around at my arrival. Around her body was a towel, and nothing else. Her hair hung in damp ringlets in her face, and her eyes were huge with shock. A red blush quickly stained her cheeks. I gulped. It wasn't fair that someone I didn't like could look so… amazing.

Hermione's shout brought my mind back to reality. "WHAT the HELL do you want?!"

"T-take this spell off me," I muttered, looking anywhere but at her. Hermione snorted but pulled her wand from the stack of clothes on the floor. I glanced into the foggy mirror and watched as my skin and hair turned back to normal. "Thanks."

"Can you get OUT now?" snarled Hermione, and I hurried out of the bathroom, shutting the door. A moment later I was shutting my bedroom door and sinking onto my bed again.

Now I _definitely_ wouldn't be able to go downstairs until the morning.

))((

Harry wrapped his arms around his heaving chest, struggling to catch his breath. Next to him, Ginny was laughing so hard tears were streaming down her face. The two leaned against each other, weak with laughter.

"That was one of the funniest things I have EVER seen," gasped Harry, when he had finished laughing. Ginny nodded, wiping her eyes.

"Anyways," she said, "right there is proof of what I've been saying all along."

"You mean about Ron and Hermione liking each other?" Harry said.

"No, about Bill and Auntie Muriel getting married. Yes, about Ron and Hermione," sighed Ginny. "Did you see the look on Ron's face when he saw Hermione?"

Harry smirked. "Hermione didn't look so displeased when he came in…"

"Exactly!" exclaimed Ginny. "The two of them are obviously in love with each other."

"I'm starting to think you may be right," answered Harry. "As much as I hate to admit it."

Ginny shoved him gently. "Let's go out. I want some lunch."

The two got dressed and Apparated to Hogsmede, having a quick lunch at the Three Broomsticks. When they reached the tent again, they snuggled together in front of the wireless, listening to music on low while they talked until dozing off in the same chair.

**A/N: **In case you didn't figure it out, Ron was bold, and Harry was italics on the note.

Please review!

))Riiko Shea((


	4. Week One, Day Three

**A/N: **(I was going to wait until Sunday to post this, and then I decided not to…)

Oh my gosh! Thanks all of you so much for the reviews! It means a lot to me- I hope I don't let you down!

Also, many people have this story on their alerts list, but haven't left me a review... (hints)

Anyways, please enjoy day three!

**Disclaimer:**I don't own Harry Potter. Or Ronald Weasley. Or Hermione Granger. Or… you get the point.

**Impossibly Insufferable**

**Chapter 4**

**Week 1, Day 3**

"Oww…" Ginny gingerly lifted her head from where it had fallen on Harry's shoulder the night before. "Remind me never to sleep in an armchair again."

Harry stretched, yawning, "Why not? You found it comfortable enough last night." Smiling, he pressed his lips to the spot where Ginny's neck met her shoulder. She grinned, resting her head against his chest, before slipping off of his lap to pull a sweatshirt on over her tank top. Harry sighed and stood, wincing.

"Sore?" asked Ginny, smirking. Harry nodded and Ginny laughed, gently massaging his shoulders. "This is why I don't want to sleep in an armchair again."

Harry rolled his shoulders under her hands. "I don't mind it if you massage me like this every time I get up." Ginny whacked him gently.

"Hush, you," she laughed. "Behave." Harry grinned, eyes twinkling.

"Sorry."

Ginny stuck out her tongue at him before walking to the kitchen, banging around as she made toast, tea, and eggs. Harry joined her, rubbing the small of his back, trying to stretch.

As they ate their breakfast, Ginny pulled out the camera again, plugging in the numerous chords. Harry yawned again, rubbing his eyes, until Ginny announced, "Finished. Are you ready?"

"Ready," he answered.

Ginny hit the switch and the camera came to life.

))((

**Hermione**

The sun woke me up the third morning of my house arrest with Ron. Blearily opening my eyes, I thought of the day before and flushed. How could I have felt sorry for him in the beginning of the day? His little prank had instantly destroyed any sympathy I had felt for him and any regret I had felt for my actions of the day before.

And then, he walked in on me after my shower! I felt my skin get hotter and I knew I was probably redder than a Muggle fire truck.

But who wouldn't be? He had burst in, shouting, and then had froze, his eyes running up my body before he turned the famous Weasley maroon and looked at the floor, asking quietly for me to remove the spell I had placed on him as payback.

Groaning, I buried my head in my pillow. "Stupid Ronald," I muttered, before getting up and pulling on fresh clothes.

I walked downstairs to find Ron at the table, biting his lip as he frowned over a piece of paper. At the other end of the table was a plate of pancakes. I blinked. "Um… good morning, Ronald."

Ron started, looking up at me. "Oh, hey. Uh… those are for you." He pointed at the pancakes. "I already had some, they're pretty good." He looked back down at the paper, turning his quill over and under his fingers just like he used to when we were at school.

I sat down and took a hesitant bite of pancake. They were actually quite good. I finished them quickly before washing the dishes. When I had done that, I glanced over at Ron. He was still turning his quill, thinking. I sighed inwardly.

"Need help?"

Ron looked up, eyes wide. "Come again? I could have sworn you just offered to help me…"

"Shut up, you git," I laughed, unable to help it. "I'll help if you want."

"That would be great," he sighed, relieved. I sat next to him, pulling over the parchment. Ron had written ten inches or so on _The Diamond Surveillance and the Twelve Attacks and Counter-attacks Necessary to Accurately Perform it._ I blinked.

"Complicated stuff, even though it's rather primitive," I murmured, scanning what he had. "This is actually quite good, Ronald. I'm impressed… however, here," I pointed, "and here, I think you have the dates wrong."

Ron took his essay back and hummed softly to himself. After a moment, he said, without looking up, "Duck."

"Why-"

"_Accio _The Diamond Surveillance by Ezekiel Held!"

I ducked as the book flew down the stairs, skidding to a stop on the table in front of Ron. He tucked his wand behind his ear and flipped through the book, finding what he wanted. "It should be here," he explained, pointing to a passage.

I took the book. "Hmm… right. Okay, it's 435, for the first date." I waited as Ron fixed the essay. "The second is 1564."

"Right, done. I don't even know why this matters," Ron huffed, finishing the last sentence before rolling the parchment up. I sighed.

"I'd have to agree, the Diamond Surveillance does seem a little old-fashioned for the Aurors' office," I said, standing. Ron stood, too.

"Thanks for your help, Hermione," he said, smiling. He turned and went upstairs. I stared at the stairs. That had been so… odd. It was like we were back in our sixth year. Except…

"I don't like Ronald," I muttered. "I'm putting up with him and being nice, but I hate him. He is an arrogant, impossibly insufferable git." Suddenly, I had a thought. I trotted upstairs to where he and Harry shared a room. Pausing outside the closed door, I heard Ron talking.

"Hey, Pig. Yeah, take this to the Aurors' training center. All right." There was a pause, and then Ron called, "You can come in, Hermione."

I flushed and opened the door. "How did you know I was outside?" I asked. Ron grinned and held up some sort of device. It was a square with a small, spinning triangle inside making a whirring noise.

"It's an intruder detector," he explained, sitting down on his bed. "Harry got it for me after he got sick of Fred and George sneaking up on us at night to prank us."

I sighed and sat down on the neatly made camp bed that was Harry's. "I see."

"So what did you want?" Ron asked, putting the intruder detector in his pocket and stretching languorously out on his bed.

"I was going to ask how you were getting to classes and stuff, but obviously I see that now," I answered. Ron nodded.

"Yeah, Harry told me that he'd gotten me out of class, but I have to do my work… I just send it in with Pig," he explained.

"Harry got me out of training, too," I sighed. "I wish he wouldn't use his influence as the Chosen One to get people to do him favors."

Ron snorted. "Come on, Hermione. He defeated Voldemort at seventeen; I think he can use his influence to get us out of classes for two weeks. Besides, it's just Auror training."

My mouth dropped open. "What? Just Auror training? How can you even say that? The Aurors are the most important defenders of wizardry!"

Ron rolled his eyes, twisting onto his back and looking at the ceiling. "Okay, sure. When have they ever helped us?"

"Excuse me?" I couldn't believe what I was hearing. "What do you mean? The Aurors helped us so many times-"

"Correction." Ron stuck his pointer finger straight in the air. "_Certain_Aurors have helped us. And it wasn't due to orders from the Aurors' office. It was because they were part of the Order of the Phoenix."

I shifted so I was sitting on my knees. "No, it wasn't just the Order! I mean, think about it. The whole Aurors' office was a huge factor in regards to ending the war. Without their help we would never have made it! They were instrumental in protecting Muggles and Muggle-borns from Death Eaters, and in the final fight they- RONALD BILIUS!"

Ron grinned, standing. I twisted from where he had suspended me above Harry's bed, no doubt with a wordless _Levicorpus_. He strolled over to me and bent slightly so we were eye to eye.

"Hermione," he murmured. I glared at him and he chuckled infuriatingly, saying, "Think for a second. Do you think I would have become an Auror if I didn't think they were important? After all, it's been almost three years, my training's nearly done."

I snorted, which was a little difficult considering I was upside-down. "Who knows how your mind works?" I growled, tugging on my shirt to keep it from falling down around my face.

Ron smirked. "It works well enough to make you… well, amusingly angry," he said, tapping my nose with his finger before pulling my wand from the pocket of my jeans. I ground my teeth as Ron stepped away, bowing.

"I'll be back soon," he laughed. "Think of it as payback for your payback." He ruffled my hair quickly before trotting downstairs.

I writhed against the invisible bond holding me up. Exhausted, I relaxed, letting go of my shirt and crossing my arms over my chest so only my stomach was exposed. _I swear,_ I thought, _when I get down, Ron is going to wish he had never been born._

Suddenly, I heard Ron coming up the stairs. He opened the door and came into the room, bending again to look me in the eye. "Hello, Hermione," he said cheerfully.

"Ronald Bilius Weasley," I growled, "if you don't let me down right NOW I SWEAR to Merlin I will CASTRATE you!"

Ron grinned. "Ah, see, there's the problem," he said cheerfully, apparently unmoved by my threats. "If I let you down now, you'll take your wand and then hex me from here to America."

"So what?" I asked, incensed. "Are you just going to leave me here?!"

"Yes." Ron grinned and walked away. I writhed harder.

"RONALD! Get back here!"

Ron came back into my line of vision, laughing. "Ah, Hermione. You're so fun to irritate."

"I'm glad you find me amusing," I snarled, glaring at him. "Now let me down!"

Ron tapped his nose with _my_ wand, which he had just pulled out of his pocket. "See, I would, but I'm still rather afraid for my life, amas well as... you know... other things."

I huffed and then gave in to his hinting. My head was pounding from the blood rushing to it, anyways. "I promise that I won't hurt you _today_ if you let me down now and give me back my wand," I snarled.

Ron sighed, thinking, and then shrugged. "Eh, all right," he said. "Best I can hope for, I suppose." He flicked my wand and I fell with a squeak on Harry's bed. Groaning, I rolled onto my back, rubbing my temples. Ron hovered over me. "Are you okay?"

"Not really," I muttered. After a moment, the headache subsided and I sat up, taking my wand from Ron's outstretched hand. He looked slightly wary and I rolled my eyes.

"I swore I wouldn't hurt you today, remember? I'll keep my promise."

Ron looked slightly relieved and stepped back from the bed. "All right. Um, I have some leftover pancakes downstairs, if you want them…?"

"Peace offering, Ronald?" I smirked. "Fine."

We went downstairs, and I was surprised to see one the clock that it was nearly one. This was the longest we had been in each others' presence since the day we broke up nearly two years ago. Sighing, I sat at the table while Ron reheated two plates of pancakes, setting one by me and the other by his seat.

"Tea?" he asked, going to the kettle. "I'll get you some, so long as it doesn't end up on me."

I chuckled. "All right."

The two of us sat together and ate in peaceful silence. When I was done I washed my plate and cup, turning to Ron. "I'll see you tomorrow, Ronald… watch your back."

Ron groaned and I laughed, going up the stairs to my room.

))((

Ginny and Harry grinned at each other. "Oh, now Ron's in for it," Harry said, standing up and putting the plates from breakfast in the sink.

"No kidding," said Ginny, standing as well. "And this morning I was thinking they might already get together."

Harry nodded thoughtfully, turning on the faucet and scrubbing the plates. "Yeah. Hermione hasn't helped Ron with any of his work since sixth year. Major nostalgia there."

Ginny laughed. "A bit. I have a feeling we'll get a lot more of that, soon."

"Definitely," agreed Harry, drying his hands. "…Want to play some Quidditch?"

"Sure!"

Ginny took their brooms from where they rested by the door while Harry went outside and drew six glowing hoops in the air. They mounted up and played one-on-one to fifty points.

When they landed, the sun was setting. "It's so nice out… the sunset is really pretty," Ginny murmured. Harry smiled and wrapped his arm around her waist, pressing a kiss to her temple.

"Not as pretty as you," he murmured. Ginny smirked.

"That was corny, Harry," she informed him, looking up to meet his eyes. Harry laughed.

"Sorry. Maybe this will make it up to you." He bent and kissed her on the lips.

The sun had fully set by the time the two, slightly out of breath, went into the tent to sleep.

**A/N: **I have no idea what the Diamond Surveillance is.

Please review!

))Riiko Shea((


	5. Week One, Day Four

**A/N: **Wow, this chapter took me a while. I've been insanely busy with school, plus… I don't know. I just had an issue with this chapter. It's my least favorite so far, and I have a feeling I might get some complaints.

Anyways, thanks so much for all the great feedback- please keep reviewing!!

**Disclaimer:** It isn't mine.

**Impossibly Insufferable**

**Chapter 5**

**Week 1, Day 4**

Harry stirred and rolled over on the bed, reaching out his hand to where Ginny was lying to pull her closer. His hand, however, closed on empty air. Blinking sleepily, Harry sat up to find he was the only one in bed.

Sighing, he got up and walked into the kitchen, glaring at Ginny, who, per usual, was drinking tea and eating toast at the kitchen table. "You ruined my sleep-in plan," he said irritably, sitting down next to her.

"How so?" asked Ginny, plugging in the camera. "I didn't wake you up, did I?"

"No, but I woke up and you already being awake made me feel guilty." Harry frowned and Ginny rolled her eyes.

"Don't act like a baby," she reprimanded. "Have some toast."

"Fine," Harry muttered. Taking a piece of toast, he watched Ginny set the camera up, until his eyes were drawn to the toast in his hand.

A moment later Ginny said, "Ready?"

"Yeah," Harry said distractedly, continuing to look at the piece of toast. "Hey, doesn't this look like Merlin?"

Ginny laughed and hit the button.

))((

**Ron**

When I woke up on day four of my two weeks with Hermione, the house was pretty quiet. Yawning, I sat up in bed, looking around the room suspiciously, knowing Hermione had probably planned something horrible for me today. Nothing seemed out of place.

Still hesitant, I stood and put on a tee-shirt. Nothing. Relieved, I pulled on my favorite Chudley Cannons sweatshirt.

And it started.

A shadow fell over my head and I looked up to see a grey storm cloud hovering above my head. "Oh sh-"

A chilly downpour began to fall, right on my head, sinking into my clothes. "Dammit," I groaned, my teeth chattering. "Hermione…"

As the rain continued to pour, I slopped my way in my wet socks to the kitchen. Hermione wasn't there. I groaned again only to whirl around as she said, from behind, "Looking a bit wet, Ronald."

"Ha ha, so bloody funny I forgot how to bloody laugh," I growled, shaking my head so water splattered the table, the cabinets, and Hermione herself. She leapt backwards and tutted, her smile struggling to remain hidden

"Shame, such language," Hermione said reprovingly, shaking a finger at me. I glowered at her and shook my head again, making sure to splash every dry remaining surface in the kitchen. Hermione rolled her eyes and dried the kitchen with a flick of her wand.

"What is this?" I asked, pointing to the small cloud over my head. Hermione grinned and pulled two pieces of parchment from her sweatshirt pocket. She did a quick spell (silently, so I couldn't copy it… I hate her sometimes) to make the parchment impenetrable to water, and then handed them to me.

The first piece of parchment was a letter from the day before in Hermione's neat handwriting.

_Hello, George._

_Your idiot brother has done it again. Harry and Ginny decided to make a bet with Ron that he and I couldn't stay in the Burrow, alone, for two weeks, without one of us walking out or the two of us getting together. And of course, your brother agreed._

_So this is our third day trapped together, and I've decided to make tomorrow hell for Ronald. Is there any way that that you could help me out?_

_Hope your visit with Charlie is good. Give Angelina and the rest my love!_

_Hermione_

The next letter was in messier script.

_Nice to hear from you, Hermione!_

_I'm surprised you're asking for my help… however, I am your humble servant! (Plus, I would never pass up the chance to mess with Ron.)_

_So find enclosed several things from WWW that will make your day quite enjoyable, and Ron's… well… not so much._

_A WWW Rainy Day Charm- Place this charm on any article of the victim's clothing you can control, for a full hour, what exactly rains on their head. (Don't worry, Hermione, Ron won't be able to take the charm off until time runs out.)_

_A WWW_

And that was it. "What does the rest of that say?" I asked, pointing to the cut off sentence. Hermione smiled evilly.

"I can't _tell_ you. That would ruin the rest of the surprises for today!" Hermione reached out, her wand in her hand, and I winced. However, she merely laughed and tapped the cloud above my head. The cold water changed into something warm and herby-smelling. I stuck out my tongue to catch some and blinked.

"Earl Grey?" I asked, looking at her in confusion. Hermione smiled.

"For giving me such a hard time over dumping the tea on your head. Now you get to have tea on your head for the next…" she glanced up at the clock, "forty-five minutes!" Smiling brightly, she skipped upstairs and I heard the door to her room shut.

"Great," I muttered, glancing down at the small puddle of tea that was now pooling around my feet. "This is just great." Sighing, I slopped up to my room, cleaning up behind myself with my wand as I went.

Forty-five minutes dragged by. Never had time moved so slowly, except when I was in the tent with Hermione and Harry searching for Horcruxes.

Finally, after forty-five minutes, the cloud above me, with a little rumble of thunder, disappeared. I sighed with relief and used my wand to dry the floor of my room and the chair I'd been sitting on. Sniffing, I rolled my eyes.

"Wonderful," I sighed to myself as I changed out of my wet clothes. "Now my room smells like a bloody teapot. That's just lovely." Muttering to myself, I turned my sweatshirt inside out and found a small, cloud-shaped pin with three purple Ws on it. Doubtlessly, this was where George had placed the manual-activation rain charm. Ripping it off, I tossed it in the bin, and then pulled open my door and stepped outside without looking.

It was times like these I thought that, maybe, Hermione had a point when she said I was stupid.

I tripped over a nearly invisible wire across my door and stumbled as it broke. Regaining my balance, I looked up just in time to see a pink net fall from where it had, apparently, been hooked to the ceiling.

The pink net hit me and instantly began pressing downwards, extending tentacles that hit the floor and fastened to it to gain leverage. Swearing, I was crushed inexorably towards the floor by the net which, much to my annoyance, I found was sticky as chewing gum. _Wait a minute…_

"HERMIONE!" I roared. "GET UP HERE!"

A few moments later Hermione appeared, smiling (and panting slightly from the stairs.) "Yes, Ronald?"

"What is this made of?" I hissed, trying to raise my arm but finding it trapped to the floor by the net.

Hermione laughed and knelt next to me, holding the letter from George next to my face so I could read it. The next line had been completed.

_A WWW product made in conjunction with Drooble's Best Bubble Gum, the WWW/DBBG Sticky Net- Set up the net with the trip wire and spell included, and it will trap anything (or anyone) to the floor until… well… they figure out how to get out. _

I glared at Hermione's smirking face. "Maybe you should consider going out with Lee Jordan," I snarled. "I hear he's still available, and the pranks you two could come up with would be better than even the WWW."

Hermione laughed. "Now I can tell you're frustrated," she trilled, standing and turning. "Besides, George came up with the pranks. I just put them to good use. See you later!" She disappeared down the stairs and I watched, sighing.

Finally, I turned my head and nibbled at the net. Much to my surprise, the net could be easily torn by my teeth. _Until… well… they figure out how to get out. Now I get it._ Sighing, I commenced to stuff my face.

After twenty minutes, I was sitting on the awful, not-quite-chartreuse rug (turned the hideous color by an experiment Bill and Charlie had done when they were little using numerous things, including an egg, a bowl of dirt, a huge, green hat, and a wand they nicked from Dad. Needless to say, Mum had not been pleased by the result) my cheeks bulging with bubble gum. I brushed off the remaining strands on my legs and sighed in relief as I stood, straightening my cramped muscles.

Watching my every move carefully, peering around me in a way that I had a feeling was similar to the way Mad-eye used to walk, I made my way downstairs, chomping valiantly at the gum in my mouth. To my joy, I reached the kitchen without incident.

This joy was immediately snuffed out because unfortunately, Hermione was in the kitchen, her back to me.

Deciding to annoy her a little, I walked towards her, chewing as loudly as I could, as well as snapping and popping my gum like Tonks had taught me to. Hermione turned her head at the noise, and my eyes widened.

Her face was covered in wrinkles, with spiders and who-knows-what-else crawling in and around them. Her nose was hooked and had a huge wart on it. Suddenly, before I could process what I was seeing, the wart grew a little face and said, "Hello, Ronald," in Hermione's voice.

"WHAT THE BLOODY HELL?! OH MY GOD, WHAT THE F-" Nearly inhaling the wad of gum in my mouth, I leapt backwards, scrambling up on a counter, trying to get as far from Hermione as possible.

Her laugh filled the kitchen as she waved her wand in front of her face, removing the mask she had been wearing. My teeth chattering, I eased myself down from the scarred countertop. "That," I said shakily, "was sick. And not in a good way."

Hermione smiled. "Spit out that gum," she said, turning back to the book I could now see resting on the table. I spat my gum in the bin and turned around to face her. Without looking, Hermione handed me the letter from George. Another line had been added.

_A WWW Crone's Wart Mask- Apply this mask and you will be outfitted with a hideous crone's face, complete with a wart enchanted to talk with your voice._

I closed my eyes and suppressed a shudder, handing the parchment back to Hermione. "Will this ever end?" I asked, tiredly. Hermione turned and smirked.

"I think so. Probably."

"Good," I muttered, and stomped back up to my room.

I sat there doing varying forms of nothing for a good five hours. This "nothing" was mainly comprised of doing my assignment for the Aurors' office and sorting through my sock drawer (in which I found twelve matchless socks, two bright pink knee-highs, a picture of Auntie Muriel, a Sneakoscope, a pair of Percy's boxers (Ginny and I once strung them up a pole outside for a laugh) and a pair of briefs with yellow, quacking ducks on them (Literally quacking. As in, "Oh, _that's _the noise I've been hearing in hear for the past fourteen years since I moved up here." Yeah. I don't know, either.))

I also went through my school trunk, which I hadn't really cleaned after my sixth year. At the bottom of the trunk was about a foot and a half of debris gathered during my time at Hogwarts. Sighing, I dug in.

I found various things, most of which (broken quills, holey socks, and cracked ink bottles) ended in the bin. But some things made me pause, and ended up in a small shoebox, which then ended up under my bed.

One was a tape-recorder, something Hermione had brought from home in our fifth year, to make a recording of us. "For posterity," she had said.

And so Harry and I had sat with her in the Rom of Requirement as she set it up. Now, as I pressed the button I remembered as the "play" button, I smiled reminiscently.

"This is Hermione Jean Granger. I am in my fifth year at Hogwarts, and I am a witch." My voice cut in.

"Yeah, they needed to be told that, Hermione. Because Muggles always attend Hogwarts." I heard Hermione snort.

"Guys, the tape is still running," Harry said. I could hear his smile. "I'm Harry Potter, by the way, Posterity."

"I'm Ron Weasley. Whose kid is this Posterity, anyways?" I asked. "Posterity seems like something you'd name your kid, Hermione."

"Posterity isn't a person!" said Hermione, clearly frustrated. "Posterity is-"

"Hey, Posterity!" I called, cutting across Hermione. "I hope that you and your friends are enjoying this tape so far, even though Hermione's snorting like a pit bull."

"RONALD!"

"Hey, Harry, is Posterity a boy or girl's name?"

"NEITHER!" shrieked Hermione. "It's-"

"Hermione," said Harry, "we know what posterity is. We're fooling with you."

"Harry James, I swear…"

And the tape ended. I remembered the pillow fight we had had afterwards… quickly, though, things descended into madness and fear, and the tape had been forgotten.

Sighing, I also found a pictures of me, Ginny, Harry, Hermione, Fred, George, Tonks, Remus, Sirius… my favorite was one of the new Order of the Phoenix with me, Ginny, Harry and Hermione in the background, looking alternately serious and goofy.

Throwing each photo into the shoebox, I smirked, "For Posterity."

After a couple hours, though, my stomach was demanding my attention. Sighing, I didn't see a way to avoid going to the kitchen, so I slipped downstairs.

Hermione was nowhere to be seen. Relieved, I pulled open the fridge and grabbed some leftover soup from the week before that Mum had made. Heating it in a banged-up pot, I stepped away and filled the equally dented kettle with water.

When the kettle called, "Ready!" I poured the steaming water into a mug that with one tiny scoop of sugar and a tea bag. The soup, bubbling happily on the stove, was poured into a slightly chipped bowl. Sighing, I finally sat at the kitchen table and took a slurp of tea.

As I began to eat, I felt a little light headed. I paused and blinked. My soup looked… purple? That couldn't be right… and why was my spoon so heavy?

I blinked as my eyes abruptly refocused, the light-headedness disappearing. "Oh my God," I groaned. This was the last straw.

Everything looked purple. Everything! The cupboards, the floor, the ceiling, my skin- it was as if someone had come into the house and painted everything in varying shades of violet.

The purple didn't prevent me from seeing my hands, though. Both had shrunk until they were the size of a small chicken's egg. I tried to stand and fell. My feet, upon closer inspection, had expanded to the size of my arm… my _whole_ arm.

Sighing, I sat still and stared despondently into my soup. "The sugar," I muttered. "Must have been the sugar in my tea."

"Aren't you a smart one?" Hermione laughed from behind me. I turned. Her purple hair was pulled back, her shirt and pants in matching shades of WWW purple. I blinked.

"Your skin is purple, with this charm," I said. "What is it, anyways?" Hermione handed me the letter. The final lines had been added.

_A WWW Purple Shrink Powder- Place this powder (which looks deceptively like sugar, be careful!) in the food or drink of the one you wish to charm. Within moments of being ingested, the powder will cause the victim to see in varying shades of purple, grow huge feet, and have their hands shrink. _

_Hope these help! Write me back!_

_Everyone sends their love._

_George_

Two or three minutes later the charm began to wear off. The light headed feeling returned as my hands and feet (with a sound like swelling and deflating balloons, respectively) returned to their normal sizes, and the colors of the kitchen righted themselves.

"Shame I don't take more sugar in my tea, eh, Hermione?" I said, standing. Hermione sighed.

"I suppose. Oh well, it was fun anyways." She turned as if to go back upstairs, but I grabbed her shoulder.

"Is that it?" I asked. Hermione smiled.

"Yeah, that's all George sent me." She tried to pull her arm away, but I tightened my grip.

"Are you going to send for more?" I asked, forcing her to meet my eyes. Hermione grinned cheekily.

"Not tomorrow, I'm not." Sticking out her tongue in a very un-Hermione-like gesture, she pulled her arm out of my grip and skipped back up to her room.

Sighing (I had sighed a lot today) I cleaned my dishes. On second thought, I cleaned out the sugar jar as well, replacing the WWW powder with real sugar.

Then, I stumbled up to my room and collapsed into bed, exhausted. I'd plan my revenge in the morning.

))((

Harry and Ginny grinned, but they were both thinking the same thing. Finally, Ginny spoke.

"We never said they couldn't owl other people… it's not really the same as seeing someone, so it's all right, I suppose."

"I agree," said Harry, leaning back in his chair. "Besides, it was amusing to watch Hermione be a prankster. And George seemed thrilled to help."

"No duh, it _is_ George." Ginny rolled her eyes and stood, stretching. "Well, I promised I'd meet Luna in Diagon Alley to do some shopping… can you amuse yourself for a while?"

"Yeah, I'll find something to do," Harry answered. Ginny smiled and Apparated away.

Harry cleaned up the tent and then decided Ron had the right idea. Curling up in bed, Harry decided he was content to just sleep until Ginny came home.

**A/N:** For those who think that the whole thing with the pictures and stuff was weird and corny, what I'm trying to portray is yeah, Hermione and Ron were friends. And that there still may be something there, between the two of them.

Please review!

))Riiko Shea((


	6. Week One, Day Five

**A/N: **Hello, everyone. Um, before you chase me down with pitchforks, I'M SORRY!! I'm terrible for not updating! I've been so busy and slightly uninspired, and I know a lot of people are going to be unhappy with how short this chapter is, but I needed a way to set the stage for Day Six. So please, please forgive me, and review!

Speaking of reviews, I LOVE YOU GUYS!!! Really. I've never had so much feedback. Please, keep it coming… and if you have this story on alert, of favorites, please review as well!

And now, enjoy!

**Impossibly Insufferable**

**Chapter Six**

**Week One, Day Five**

Harry and Ginny were up bright and early on Day Five of their bet with Ron and Hermione. While Harry made pancakes and Ginny set up the camera, he glanced over at her.

"You know," he said conversationally, "we should think about getting George on our side."

"Huh?" Ginny finished setting up the camera and straightened.

"Well," reasoned Harry, "we both know Ron has probably written to George by now asking for his help with his revenge for Hermione, and George has probably hooked him up with some supplies. But it's what, Day Five? And the two of them are still going at it… I think it's time we wrote your dearest brother a letter ourselves."

Ginny stared at Harry until he squirmed uncomfortably. "If it's a bad idea-" he finally started, only to be cut off as Ginny threw her arms around his neck.

"Brilliant, Harry!" shouted Ginny, kissing his cheek before running to the desk to grab some parchment. Harry raised his eyebrows before turning back to the stove to attend to the pancakes.

Ginny sat down at the table with parchment and a quill, scratching determinedly as Harry finished making breakfast. As he sat down next to her, Ginny read the letter out loud.

It said:

_Dear George,_

_How's it going? I know that you've been helping Ron and Hermione out with their revenge on each other. That is not the effect Harry and I were going for. We want the two of them to get together again. _

_Do you think you can help us with that instead?_

_Love you a lot- Give everyone else hugs from me, especially Ange._

_Ginny_

Harry nodded. "Excellent. Send it off and then we can watch the action, yeah?"

"Okay." Ginny stood and went to the cage that held the owl she and Harry shared, that she had named Rowan. The black owl held out its leg, and then flew out the open tent window with the letter in its talon.

When Rowan was out of sight, Ginny came and sat back down next to Harry. He grinned and hit the "on" button.

))((

**Hermione**

Yawning, I woke up after a fairly satisfying sleep the night before. That satisfaction, I thought, stretching, probably had something to do with my lovely day of pranking Ron the day before. Even though I would never, ever admit it, I sort of realized why George, Fred, and the Marauders had so enjoyed mischief.

I pulled myself to my feet and left my room, going down the hall to the bathroom. Once there, I applied soap to my face and then splashed my skin briskly with cold tap water. Patting my face dry, I glanced into the mirror.

And screamed.

"RONAL BILIUS WEALSEY, I SWEAR TO GOD I WILL KILL YOU!"

"Really? I think it's a good look for you."

I screamed again and whirled around, pressing myself again the sink, my hand over my pounding heart as Ron stepped out from the shower where he had been hiding. "Ronald! What if I had used the loo or something?"

Ron laughed, his ears going pink. "It was worth it to see your reaction first-hand…anyways, I don't think that's a relevant question. What you _should_ be contemplating is how to get that stuff off your face."

I glared at him and turned back to the mirror. It was _awful. _My face was bright WWW purple, with Weasley orange spots. I groaned and put my head in my hands. "Ronald, how do I get rid of it?"

"It'll wear off in an hour or so," said Ron, showing me the box the soap had come from. _WWW Spot Soap_, it said, along with the logo of their Wonder Witch line, which surprised me.

"What sort of girl wants her face to look like this?" I asked. Ron shrugged.

"None. This was a tester that didn't go right, but it was still cool, so George kept it." I didn't bother to hear any more than that. Groaning, I stomped from the bathroom down the stairs, ignoring the sniggering Weasleys in the photos on the walls.

Once in the kitchen I bustled around making myself tea. Sitting down at the table, I sighed and put my head in my hands. I was getting sick of this. _I take back everything I said about liking mischief, _I thought, ruefully looking at my warped reflection in the warm tea. I heard Ron enter the room and looked up.

He was looking apprehensive, standing just inside the doorway. "Is it… safe?" he asked. I contemplated saying "No", but then his bottomless pit of a stomach gave a plaintive growl and I sighed.

"Yes, it's safe," I muttered, turning back to my tea. Ron came all the way into the room and grabbed a piece of his mother's apple pie from inside the fridge. I looked up again and raised an eyebrow. "Pie for breakfast?"

"Yep," Ron grinned. He cut another piece and put each on a plate, giving me one. I rolled my eyes but _Accio_ed a fork for each of us. We sat and ate in a slightly awkward silence, until Ron glanced up.

"Your face is getting better," he said. I glanced up from my pie and raised an eyebrow.

"Really?"

"Really." He gave me a small grin and turned back to his pie. I smiled slightly at how careful he was being not to set me off again. Good. I couldn't guarantee he would leave the kitchen in one piece if he ticked me off.

Ron, as expected, finished his pie first, washing his plate and fork and putting them in the cabinet. As soon as I finished he took my dishes, too, and repeated the process. I watched him out of the corner of my eye. Feeling my gaze, he turned, tugging his shirt uncomfortably. "What?"

I made an expression of disbelief. "You really think putting the dishes away is going to make me forgive you for this?" I pointed at my face. Ron sighed.

"No, and I wasn't doing it for that reason," he answered.

"Why then? It isn't like you to do things for yourself," I sing-songed. Ron straightened, hands on his hips in a decidedly Mrs. Weasley-ish gesture.

"Did it ever occur to you maybe I was doing it because I'm mature enough to clean up after myself and my house guest?" he asked, deadly calm, raising his eyebrows.

I winced inwardly at his tone, but stood to make things more even. "Mature, huh, Ronald? Is that what you call your antics of these past couple of days?"

Ron growled. "I believe it was you who started it, Hermione."

"And you retaliated," I snarled. "Just admit it's entirely your fault for accepting that stupid bet!"

"Or maybe it's your fault for being too childish to just sit and deal with it!" Ron shouted. We were less than a foot apart, our faces red, eyes furious. "You had to resort to something like a prank war because you can't just grin and bear it!"

"Yeah, blame it on me, Ronald! That's definitely mature!" I screamed, balling my fists by my sides. "And you're one to talk about grinning and bearing it! What about you running home during the Horcrux search?!"

Immediately my hand flew over my mouth as Ron's eyes narrowed, looking like chips of ice. I involuntarily shrank back. No one ever mentioned the Horcrux incident; Harry and Ron had made their peace, so no other talk was necessary. It was a taboo subject. As Ron loomed over me, using his six-foot-four height to dwarf me, my stomach clenched with guilt and fury.

"Listen, Hermione," Ron hissed, "I'm not going to say I don't deserve some blame in this, but I won't take all the blame. I won't be your scapegrace. So just… stuff it, okay!"

"Ronald!" I snapped in protest, but he was already halfway to the stairs. Then he paused, turning to face me again.

"And I know I was wrong, and a git, about the Horcruxes, Hermione. Thanks for reminding me of how much of a failure I am, it was definitely necessary." Finished, Ron was stormed up the stairs. A moment later his door slammed so hard one of the photos in the hallway crashed to the floor. Then there was silence.

I stared at the stairs, feeling miserable. I hated him, so much. That was such an overreaction. Totally unnecessary! And yet, I felt guilty, horribly so, that I had brought _that_ up, when he (almost) never stooped so low as to mention my once-buck-teeth, my know-it-all attitude, my friendlessness in first year.

But times changed, I supposed. He had been my best mate. We hadn't done that sort of thing. And now he wasn't, so we did. But that didn't mean it felt right. "What happened to us, Ron?" I whispered. That, I decided, was something Ron and I would have to discuss, as much as I hated the git.

But not now. I was, after all, still dreadfully angry at him.

So I stomped up to my room, slamming the door (albeit not as hard as Ron), to think about what I would say to my once-best- mate.

))((

Harry groaned as he shut the camera off. "That was much too short," he sighed, glancing at the clock. Ten o'clock. Ginny sighed too.

"Oh well, at least we have some time to go out and do something…" she said, reaching out and squeezing Harry's hand. He grinned at her and leaned in.

"We could just stay here," Harry murmured, touching his lips to hers. Ginny smiled and kissed him back. Slowly, their lips became more insistent. Ginny's arms wrapped around Harry's neck, and his arms slipped around her waist, pulling her from her chair onto his lap.

Suddenly, someone cleared their throat with a loud, "Oi!" Ginny shrieked into Harry's mouth and Harry swore, releasing Ginny's waist to cartwheel his arms, trying to prevent them from toppling over in the kitchen chair.

Once they were stable, both Ginny and Harry glared at their visitor. George Weasley. "Why am I not surprised it's you?" groused Ginny, standing up from Harry's lap to sit her abandoned chair.

George grinned. "Sorry, did I disturb you two?"

"Yes," sighed Harry, "you are well aware that you did."

George smirked. "Whoops, my bad." He sat down next to the Ginny and leaned forward with his elbows on his knees. "And I here I thought I was supposed to be helping you get Hermione and Ronnie together."

Immediately, Harry and Ginny sat up straighter. "Absolutely! Especially after today," grinned Ginny. Quickly, they gave George the summary of the day, especially Hermione's quiet, "What happened to us, Ron?" after he had left. George rubbed his hands together gleefully.

"Well, well… I think that Hermione and Ron are realizing their feelings again. But Hermione's too proud to admit it, and Ron… well, maybe Ron hasn't put a name to those feelings yet." George chuckled. "But I know exactly what we're going to do to get the two of them right where they need to be…"

**A/N:** Thanks to the reviewers who said that I should get George involved and lyrical-harmonies for the idea about the Wonder Witch product.

Review!

))Riiko Shea((


	7. Week One, Day Six

**A/N: **Hello everybody! I want to thank you guys SO MUCH for the reviews. I mean, I've never had this much feedback ever… I really, really, really appreciate it. (On that note, do you think we can get to 100 reviews? I know you can…)

Anyways, I was going to post this chapter on Sunday, but then decided I was too impatient to wait that long and posted it today.

Now, on to chapter seven! (Ron and Hermione have almost finished a week…)

**Impossibly Insufferable**

**Chapter Seven**

**Week One, Day Six**

George stayed over at the tent into the sixth day, stretching out on the couch while Ginny and Harry regretfully slept in different camp beds.

The next morning, Ginny bounced to her feet bright and early, jumping on top of Harry and giving him a kiss. "Wake up, Harry!" she whispered. "Come on!"

Harry moaned softly, stretching out his arms and opening his eyes. Without his glasses, Ginny looked like a blur of orange, red, and green from her pajamas. "Glasses," he croaked through his dry throat. Ginny grabbed his glasses from the table next to his bed and put them on him. Harry blinked and then smiled. There. Now he could see.

Ginny grinned and kissed the tip of his nose before getting down from Harry's bed and jumping up on top of George on the couch. "Wake up, Georgie!" Ginny called loudly. George groaned.

"Shut up, Ginny. Jeez, how can you be so loud in the morning?" he mumbled, pulling a pillow over his head. Ginny smirked.

"Now, none of that. I thought you were eager to wreak havoc on our poor brother," she said, slipping off of her brother's chest and dancing cheerfully into the kitchen. George sat up slowly and looked at Harry over the back of the couch. Harry looked back blearily before sighing and sitting up as well.

Five minutes later, all three, still in their pajamas, were sitting in the little kitchen discussing George's plan. Of course, part of it had been Angelina's idea- she was as into getting Ron and Hermione together as Ginny and Harry.

Finally, at seven of so, George stood. "Right then. The Cloak, Harry?"

"Sure, one second." Harry stood and rummaged through the trunk he had brought with him, finally pulling out his Invisibility Cloak and tossing it to George, who caught it and wrapped it around his shoulders.

"Excellent… quick, Gin, turn on the camera." George stood by the door, waiting, until Ginny said, "Ready!"

"Bye, then," said George, and Dissapperated to a few feet away from the Burrow.

Once he was gone, Ginny and Harry grinned at each other evilly, then turned to the screen.

))((

**Ron**

I was up surprisingly early the next morning. Not that I was surprised. Hermione's words had hurt me more than I cared to say, and had made for a very troubled night, filled with Killing Curses, lockets, and Harry and Hermione kissing, the kind of dream I hadn't had in a couple years.

"Damn you, Hermione," I growled when I woke up again at five thirty the morning of our six day imprisoned together. Giving up on going back to sleep, I stood, pulled a sweatshirt on over my tee-shirt, and then slipped down to the kitchen in my pajama bottoms.

I sat there for a long time, just thinking about Hermione. She was infuriating, and could make me angrier than anyone. Of course, Hermione could also make me happier than anyone- she hadn't done that in a long time, though.

Suddenly, at seven fifteen, as if in answer to my thoughts, I heard Hermione calling, "Ronald! Ronald?" Growling, I stared resolutely into my coffee mug. I refused to be pranked or insulted by her again.

Her calls continued, though, sounding more and more desperate, until, finally, she called, "RON! I'm stuck!"

Ron. She hadn't called me Ron in a long time. She must really need me. Cursing inwardly, I stood and called up the stairs, "Where are you, Hermione?"

There was a pause and then she called back, "I'm locked in the closet next to my room!"

I raced up to the second landing and pulled open the closet door, peering into its dark depths. Suddenly, as I leaned forward searching the darkness, two hands firmly shoved me between my shoulder blades. I swore and fell into the huge closet, flipping onto my back into time to see the door slam and hear its lock click.

"Damn you to… DAMN!" I swore, standing and trying to door out of reflex before punching it. "I can't BELIEVE you, Hermione… actually, I can't believe myself, letting her lock me in here…"

"I didn't lock you in here! Someone locked us both in here!" I yelped and whirled around, facing the dark.

"Hermione?"

"Yes, who else?" There was a pause and then a light appeared, creepily illuminating part of Hermione's face. "Hey."

I blinked. "How did you end up here? And is that your wand? If you had your wand, why did you need me?"

Hermione sighed. "I went to brush my teeth this morning, and I realized we were out of toothpaste. So after I was done I went to the closet for more, and someone shoved me inside and shut the door." She rolled her eyes. "Whoever it was put a charm on the lock that is resistant to all of the unlocking charms I know." She sighed. "I bet Harry's the one who locked us in here… only someone with and Invisibility Cloak could have got both of us without either one of us seeing."

I made a non-commital noise. We sat in silence for a while, waiting for whoever had locked us in here to come and let us out. Suddenly, Hermione asked, "Ronald?"

"I'm angry at you," I growled. Hermione snorted.

"And why, pray tell, would that be?" she asked snottily. Even without looking at her, I could perfectly imagine the look on her face. It was one she had often used when talking to Malfoy when we were at school. I scowled.

"Forgotten yesterday so quickly?" I asked. "Wow, you must not have much of a guilt complex."

I heard Hermione hiss as if he had just burned her hand and glanced at her. Her face was twisted in what I realized was pain. My own guilt complex twisted, but I ignored it. "How would you like it if I made _you_ feel like crap, Hermione? I mean, that's not what we do! We're best… mates…"

Hermione's face was filled with more pain than before. "Best mates, Ronald? Is that what we are?"

I winced as I realized that, really… "We aren't, are we." It was more of a statement than a question.

Hermione's eyes glistened in the dim light with what I realized were tears. Her voice sounded choked when she whispered, "What happened to us, Ron?"

I looked at her bitterly. "How could you forget the Fight, Hermione?"

She bit her lip as we both thought back to the Fight.

The two of us had been in the Burrow a couple months after the war ended having an argument about… something. I didn't even remember anymore. We had finished a few moments ago at a very unsatisfactory conclusion- both of us believed the other to be wrong.

Suddenly, Hermione burst out, "Merlin, you're so stupid, Ronald!"

Harry and Ginny, who had just come downstairs to join us, froze in unison and began to back away from the kitchen door as I gaped at Hermione. I hid my hurt almost immediately and snapped, "Well then, why don't you go get a new boyfriend? One who's worthy of you?"

Hermione face turned red as she clenched her fists and hissed, "You know what, I think I will!"

"Fine then. We're through."

"Good."

I had gotten up and pounded up the stairs to my room while Hermione had stomped outside.

It was over, just like that. Finished over the stupidest thing, one of the smallest arguments we'd ever had. For a few weeks afterwards, we were cordial. Then the biting comments began. And then the insults. And things just escalated from there.

Now, looking at Hermione, I knew she was thinking the same things as me. Her eyes lifted from her lap and she took a deep breath.

"I'm sorry, Ron."

I stared at her. "You're _sorry_?"

Hermione smiled slightly. "I started it. All of it. From the very beginning, it was my fault. And I'm sorry."

What does one say to that? I'd hated Hermione, really hated her. But I was realizing now, after spending all this time with her, that as much as I hated her, I needed her. I wasn't Ron without Hermione to be my foil*, really. And so I held out my hand.

"I'm sorry, too. Mates?"

Tears dripped from Hermione's eyes and she took my hand. "Best mates."

Suddenly, the door clicked open. I jumped up and pulled Hermione to her feet. The two of us peered around the corner of the door, but no one was there. Then, a loud creak sounded from the stairs, and I leapt into action.

"Stop! Whoever you are… Harry? Ginny? Stop, now!" I raced down the stairs, only to have the door slammed in my face and to hear the crack of someone Disapperating. I swore and turned to face Hermione, who was standing awkwardly at the foot of the stairs. "Just missed them," I sighed, walking to the table.

"Look!" Hermione suddenly exclaimed. She moved to a cabinet, where a piece of parchment was hanging. Removing the adhesive charm with a flick of her wand, Hermione read,

"_You're welcome._

_Don't do anything inappropriate now that you're all buddy-buddy again._

_George."_

I glowered at the direction of the door. "I wonder if Harry knew George was using his Cloak or if he just snuck in and stole it. The git."

Hermione huffed, presumably at the last line. My suspicion was proved correct when she snapped, "Who does he think he is? I mean, listening in on that conversation-"

I shrugged, interrupting her inevitable rant with a calm, "It's George. What were you expecting?"

Hermione huffed again but said nothing, sitting down at the kitchen table. I sat a few seats down from her, idly staring at the table's scratched surface.

A few minutes later, Hermione sighed. "I'm so bored… it's getting annoying, just sitting here all day."

I sighed as well before standing. "Yeah… listen, I'm tired, I got up early today. How about I just send Harry and Ginny an owl and ask them if we can go out tomorrow or something?" I held up a hand as her mouth opened. "No, not as a date, just to Diagon Alley. As mates. Is that okay?"

Hermione rolled her eyes but a smile tugged on her lips. "Fine. I'll see you later."

I went upstairs, exhausted by the events of the day, to send a letter to Harry and Ginny, after which I fell sound asleep.

))((

When George entered the tent, Harry and Ginny were still engrossed in the action on the screen. As soon as Ron had gone up to his room, though, the two leapt to their feet to praise George, where he sat on the couch.

"That was bloody brilliant, George! It worked even better than I thought!" yelled Harry, flushed with excitement. George tutted.

"When will you learn not to doubt my brilliance, Harry?" George asked, reclining back on the couch as if he were an ancient Roman god, while Ginny grinned and deemed his performance "incredible."

Suddenly, with a hoot, Pig fluttered into the tent, grasping a letter in his talons. Harry took the letter as Ginny fed the little owl some treats.

The letter said,

_Harry, Ginny,_

_Hermione and I are getting rather bored. Do you think we could maybe go to Diagon Alley or something together tomorrow?_

_And before you get your hopes up, not as a couple. Sorry, George. _

_You're a git, by the way._

_Ron_

George made tsking noises. "He's not getting permission from me if he keeps talking like that," he said, shaking his head in disappointment. Ginny grinned and looked at Harry.

"I don't see a problem with it… we can pay them a little visit tomorrow, and give them permission," she said. Harry nodded.

"Sure."

"I can't wait to talk to them face to face," said George, but Ginny shook her head.

"You'll stay here, to operate the camera. After all, I want to see their date!" Ginny tapped her fingers on her leg, trying to figure out logistics. "Okay. You'll keep the camera on for me and Harry's little talk, so you can see it. Then, can you get the camera to touch Ron and Hermione before they Disapperate, so it goes with them?"

"Yeah, of course," answered George. "Let me guess. You two will then Apperate here, and we'll watch them as usual. Right?"

"Basically," answered Ginny. Harry looked between the two Weasleys.

"I think I got that," he said hesitantly. Ginny grinned.

"Don't worry, it'll make more sense as we do it." She patted his hand and he stuck out his tongue.

For the rest of the day, the three hung around playing Quidditch and generally fooling around until they dozed off at nine or ten, excited for the next day.

**A/N: **I know it was a bad ending. Sorry… I just couldn't think of any other way to end this chapter.

_* _As for those who haven't taken English One (or those who have and just don't remember) foil is being used in this sentence as a person who, by their own personality/actions brings out the opposite qualities in another person. For example, Hermione's hard work ethic is highlighted by the fact that Harry and Ron hardly ever do their own homework.

Please review!

))Riiko Shea((


	8. Week One, Day Seven

**A/N:** Oh. My. Gosh. More than 100 reviews! And more than 5,000 hits! I cannot thank you enough- it means more to me than you know. (Special thanks to my anonymous reviewers whom I cannot thank in review replies.) Please keep it up!

Okay, now the bad news. I have midterms in one or two weeks, so I may not get in another update until after they're over. Maybe one short chapter, but I can't make any promises. Hopefully this chapter will keep you satisfied until then.

Now, on to Day Seven!

**Impossibly Insufferable**

**Chapter Eight**

**Week One, Day Seven**

Harry, Ginny, and George all woke up early, entirely ready for Ron and Hermione's date… not-date…outing.

George turned on the camera in time to see Ron stepping into the bathroom. A moment later, the sound of the shower turning on could be heard, and George looked over his shoulder, saying, "Harry, Ginny, Ronnie's up."

"We'd better get going, then," said Ginny. She had just come out of the bathroom and was changed and washed for the day. Harry, who had completed the same tasks a few minutes before, smiled and took her hand, despite George clearing his throat pointedly.

"Yeah… See you in a bit, George," he said. The two Dissaperated together, leaving George to stare at the camera as Day Seven, the last day of the first week, began.

))((

**Hermione**

I was up early on Day Seven of the bet. I quickly showered before pulling on a sweater and jeans. As I pulled back my hair, I thought of what I might be doing today.

Today, I might be going out with my arch-enemy- turned- best-mate-turned- boyfriend-turned-arch-enemy-turned-best-mate. Ron Weasley. Sometimes, I questioned my own sanity. _I mean, come on, Hermione. History often repeats itself._

But it was too late to back out now, and truth be told, I really wanted to get out of the house.

Besides, it wasn't a date. It was a… not-date. Yeah. And anyways, Ginny and Harry hadn't even written back to us giving us permission.

I finished getting ready at around eight and went to sit in the kitchen. Above me, I heard Ron banging around in his room, before I heard the shower turn on. Fifteen minutes later, he appeared in the doorway, his hair damp, also dressed (for the first time in his life) neatly. He smiled at me.

"Hey… heard anything from Ginny and Harry yet?" Ron asked, getting two mugs down from the cabinet. I shook my head.

"No, nothing," I answered. Ron sighed as he began to pour hot water into the mugs. Suddenly, there was a loud pop, causing Ron to spill hot water down his shirt as I shrieked, leaping up to point my wand at…

Harry and Ginny.

"Dammit, you two!" shouted Ron as they began laughing. I sighed in relief and exasperation, tucking my wand back in my pocket. Still chuckling, two sat down at the table as Ron cleaned his shirt off.

"I take it you got our letter?" I asked, making sure my voice clearly reflected my irritation. Harry nodded.

"Yeah. We've decided the two of you can go to Diagon Alley if you'd like," he answered.

"Oh, how kind," snapped Ron, coming to stand behind me. "Can you leave so we can go?"

Ginny waggled her eyebrows. "Awfully eager, aren't we, Ronnie?" she asked, causing Ron's face to turn an odd shade of purple. I sighed.

"Must you wind your brother up?" I asked. Ginny laughed.

"Yes," she answered. Harry shook his head and pulled Ginny to her feet as he rose.

"We'll talk to you two later, yeah?" he said. Before I could answer, he and Ginny disappeared, Dissaperating to who-knows-where. Ron growled soundlessly and sank into a kitchen chair.

"Relax," I said, patting his hand quickly before standing to make myself tea, seeing as Ron was in no mood to complete the job he'd started. "They're just trying to bother you."

He didn't say anything, not speaking until I set his tea in front of him. "Thanks," he murmured. "Let's go as soon as we're done, okay?"

"Sure," I answered, sitting next to him. We sipped at our tea silently, both of us staring straight ahead. I thought of the day before, and our closet confrontation. It had been interesting to say the least- I had nearly forgotten about the Fight that had ended our relationship.

It had been one of the most pointless fights- something about… Gilderoy Lockhart, maybe? I couldn't even remember. And then, I was so irritated that when my insult led to him offering to break up with me, I had agreed. By the time I realized what, exactly, I'd done, it was too late.

But I wasn't sorry. Obviously. I had no regrets.

Suddenly, I realized Ron was putting his mug in the sink. I also realized I'd been staring into my mug for the past fifteen minutes, at the cold tea bag at the bottom. Ron, noticing at the same time, smirked.

"Trying your hand at reading tea leaves, then?" he asked, pulling his coat from the stand next to door. I glowered at him.

"Yes, I am, and I can see a Grim coming to attack you," I growled, throwing my tea bag in the bin and putting my mug in the sink. As Ron laughed, I pulled on my coat. "Let's go, okay?"

"Sure," Ron answered. Together, we Apparatedawayfrom the Burrow, to arrive a moment later in DiagonAlleyin the middle of the crowded street. Ron and I struggled out of the crowd to a shaded alcove in front of a small apothecary.

"I'm going to go to Flourish and Blotts, okay?" I said, already ten paces from Ron. He nodded.

"I'm at the WWW. I'll catch up with you la- what the hell?"

I turned and saw Ron's right hand was surrounded by a purple cloud. His eyes widened and he pointed at my left hand. "Hermione, look!"

I swore, already guessing what this spell did. My suspicion was soon proved correct as Ron and I were tugged closer to each other. Our hands clasped between us, the purple disappearing as soon as we were shoulder to shoulder. "George," I growled. "I am going to _kill_ him."

"I'll help," snapped Ron. I groaned.

"Now what?"

"Hermione? Ron? Oh Merlin, it's been a long time!" I froze. The one voice that I had never wanted to hear again, directed at us. Ron and I turned, still holding hands, to see Lavender Brown running towards us.

She reached us in moments, flinging her arms around Ron, who awkwardly hugged her back, before she hugged me as well. I patted her shoulder until she released me, squealing in the most irritating manner.

"How are you two? What have you been up to? I heard that you two had broken up, but it looks like I was wrong!" Lavender giggled, pointing at our clasped hands. Ron and I glanced at each other, blushing immediately as we automatically tugged our hands away from each other. To my surprise, they separated.

"We did," Ron said, his voice sounding tight and stressed. "Hermione almost fell when we Apparated, so I caught her."

Lavender grinned. "Sure, sure," she said, sounding unconvinced. She turned, scanning the crowd for someone. When she did, I glared at Ron, mouthing, "_I_ tripped?" He managed a small grin as Lavender turned back around.

"I'm here with Seamus, I'm sure he'll want to- oh, Seamus! SEAMUS!"

Lavender waved frantically, as Seamus, who was still as little and Irish looking as he had been at school, waved back in recognition and made began his way over to us. A moment later, he was shaking hands with Ron and kissed my cheek.

"It's nice to see you two," he laughed, his eyes shining. "What are you doing here together?"

I rolled my eyes and held up a hand as Ron began to speak. "Let's just say it involves Harry, Ginny, and her no-good brother."

"Which one?" asked Lavender, grinning at Ron, who looked uncomfortable. Seamus raised an eyebrow. I sighed.

"I meant George." Glancing at Ron, who looked like he wanted nothing more than to flee the scene, I decided to take pity. Smiling at Seamus and Lavender, I said, "It was great to see you two again, but Ron and I came to visit Lee and I need to pick up a book, so…"

Seamus shook his head. "Come on, Hermione! Let me treat you two to a drink at the Leaky Cauldron. I mean, it's been years!"

Ignoring our protests, Lavender and Seamus guided us to the Leaky Cauldron, buying three butterbeers and a firewhiskey for Seamus. The next thing Ron and I knew, Seamus and I were on one side of a table, and Lavender was sitting right beside Ron on the other side. Sighing in resignation, I asked Seamus what he'd been up to.

"Oh, this and that," he answered. "Lavender and I came to see Parvati- she's staying here for a little while. Don't remember why." He took a drink from his glass. Ron looked impressed at the amount of firewhisky Seamus swallowed without wincing.

"I've been really busy," sighed Lavender, looking unusually somber. "I was volunteering up at Hogwarts." I blinked.

"Really? How did the repairs turn out?" I asked. "I've been caught up in the Ministry and could only help out with the preliminary repairs." Lavender nodded.

"They came out pretty well, I think… they're not the same, you know, but pretty similar. Everyone was happy with them." She smiled a little sadly. Seamus pursed his lips.

"Yeah, I've been up there. They were really nice… Ron did some good work, too." Seamus grinned, obviously guessing that Ron hadn't told me he was going to help with the clean-up. I raised an eyebrow at him and he blushed.

"What?" he asked, defensively. "I had some time off from training and went up there to help." Ron took a sip of his drink and bit his lip. Lavender laughed at my expression of shocked disbelief.

"Oh, don't hurt him, Hermione. He's too sweet to break." She smiled winningly at Ron, who smiled uncertainly back. My eyebrows shot up into my hairline, but I said nothing, quickly occupying my mouth with taking a drink from my glass.

We sat in silence for a little longer, nursing our drinks, until I lifted my eyes to meet Ron's. He gave a little nod and we stood. "Well, it was nice to see you, but Ron and I really must be going."

Seamus and Lavender protested, but when they saw we weren't giving in, sighed in unison. Seamus hugged me, holding on a moment longer than necessary, before shaking hands with Ron again. Lavender kissed Ron's cheek and hugged me again, then waved enthusiastically and Ron and I got out as quickly as we possibly could.

Standing in the street, being buffeted by the crowds, I took a deep breath. Ron, beside me, appeared to be doing the same thing. Ron pointed to a small café that had apparently just opened, and I nodded.

Once inside, I sat at a small table while Ron got up and ordered two teas for us. He sat down across from me and a moment later a woman brought over our drinks. I sighed and took a calming sip of Earl Grey.

"Okay," Ron said after a moment's silence. "That was the weirdest thing that has ever happened to me."

I laughed softly. "Well, hardly the weirdest, but definitely odd. The spell in particular was interesting."

"I thought Lavender was weirder." Ron sighed. "I was just surprised that the spell let us go." He subconsciously rubbed his hand, as if he expected it to started glowing again. I sighed.

"It seems as though it was meant to be a WWW product, but George kept it for himself," I mused out loud. "So I can only guess at how he formulated it- my bet is if two people are together, and one walks a certain distance from the other, say, fifteen paces, the spell is activated and the two peoples' hands lock together."

"Right." Ron turned his spoon over and under his fingers. "Then why didn't the same thing just happen when I went to get our tea?"

I thought about that, without coming to any satisfactory conclusions. Ron watched me, continuing to walk his spoon over and under his fingers, before dropping it with a clatter and clapping his hands.

"I know! I bet it's if you're going into a different room or something- like you were going to the bookstore, and I was going to WWW. But we're both in the tea shop, so it doesn't matter how many paces I get away from you, we're still together!" He sat back, looking pleased with himself. I grinned, surprised.

"Wow, Ron… Auror training has been very good for you," I said. Ron rolled his eyes, picking up his spoon again. "How do you do that?"

"Thinking? Oh, it comes naturally to me," Ron answered, smirking. "I guess _some_ just have to try harder than others." I reached across the table and smacked him.

"No, I mean that." I pointed to his hands. Ron glanced down.

"Oh, that! It's simple… haven't I showed you before?" Ron slid his chair around the table next to mine. "Pick up your spoon."

I picked up my spoon from where it was resting on a folded napkin. Ron slowly walked his spoon between his fingers, glancing up at me every once and a while to explain his motions. "Got it?" he asked, finally.

"I think so," I answered. Ron stopped and regarded me.

"Well, go on then," he said, nodding at my hand. I took a deep breath and started copying the motions he'd been doing. Ron stopped me after a moment.

"No, no, you're thinking too much and adding all these complicated moves… here." Ron took my hand and started walking the spoon through my fingers with his. I watched, but the whole time I was thinking, _He's touching my hand… wow, his hand is really big. And warm. And it has a lot of freckles… I wonder how many. _

Suddenly, someone cried, "Ron! Hermione!"

I glanced up and gasped. "Neville Longbottom!" I jumped up and hugged Neville, who was dressed in slightly dirty robes, his eyes bright, his skin flushed. He looked happier than I'd ever seen him. "How are you?"

"I'm great!" he answered, sitting at the chair Ron pulled up for him, shaking hands with Ron as he sat. "I'm a professor's assistant for Sprout, you know, so I have Saturday off. I Apparated here to get some supplies and stuff." Neville grinned. "Seems like you two came here for a _different_ reason, though…"

I flushed, realizing Neville had probably seen Ron holding my hand and thought it was something else. _Time to change the subject,_I thought. "Wait, how did you Apparate from school grounds?"

"I didn't," answered Neville, raising an eyebrow. Clearly, he was on to me. "I went down to Hogsmeade and went from there." Neville told us about his new experiments with medicine, answering my multitude of questions with a smile. Even Ron asked some intelligent questions. Finally, Neville stood. "I'm sorry, but I've got to go- Quidditch game today and all."

"Who's playing?" asked Ron, eagerly. I rolled my eyes as Neville grinned.

"Slytherin versus Gryffindor for the Cup… it'll be brilliant." Ron laughed as we both stood.

"Bye, Neville… owl me, okay?" I hugged him again.

"Sure, Hermione," Neville answered. "Later, Ron." He clapped Ron on the shoulder and then disappeared out of the little café and into the street, soon lost in the crowd.

I sighed and sat again, absently picking up the spoon. "I miss everyone." I started walking the spoon slowly through my fingers, Ron watching.

"Yeah, me too. We should have a reunion or something." Ron met my eyes. "You're getting good at that."

"Hmm? Oh, this? Thanks," I smiled at him, setting the spoon down. "Let's go the bookstore, okay? Then WWW."

Ron sighed but smiled. "Fine. Come on." He stood and I followed him out the door and through the crowd to the bookstore a few doors down. We slipped inside and I took a deep breath, exhaling in satisfaction.

"I'll meet you at the door in twenty minutes, okay?" I said to Ron, already heading towards the History and Law section. Ron moaned.

"I'm going to go- crap, I'd forgotten about that." As Ron had gone to step outside, our hands pulled us closer together and clasped with a flash of purple. I sighed and tugged my hand away from Ron's.

"Come on, please, Ron? Twenty minutes is all I'm asking!" I stuck out my lower lips and tilted my head. Ron's shoulders slumped.

"Oh, fine. I'll meet you at the door in twenty minutes." He stomped off in the direction of the Sports section. I smiled fondly after him, before hurrying to the History and Law section.

Twenty minutes later, as I sat on the floor, thumbing through a huge book on the origins of Wizarding Law, someone tapped me on the shoulder. I squeaked and grabbed my wand from my pocket, only to have Ron's hand pluck it from my hand and tuck it back into my jacket pocket. I sighed in relief.

"Ronald, you scared me!" I snapped, looking up at him. He grinned.

"Sorry, but I knew if I didn't come and get you, you'd stay in here forever." He pulled the book from my hands and pushed in onto the shelf, before grabbing my hand and pulling me to my feet. I sighed and allowed him to drag me into the street and through the crowd to WWW.

Once inside, we were surprised to find only a couple of people. Lee Jordan grinned at us from the counter. "Hey, Ron, Hermione… what's up with the hand-holding?"

I blushed for the ninetieth time that day and pulled my hand from Ron's. "We didn't want to get separate in crowd, Jordan." Lee smirked.

"Whoa, no need to get so defensive, Hermione." He stepped around from behind the counter. "Anyways, can I help you two?"

Ron shrugged. "No really. We just wanted to say hey."

Lee grinned. "Hey, then. Oh, do you know where George is?" Ron and I glowered at each other. Apparently George was still with Harry and Ginny, which could only be bad for us.

"Yeah, he's wherever Harry and Ginny are," I answered after a moment. "And before you ask, no, we don't know where they are."

Lee raised his eyebrows. "Am I correct in assuming that the reason you two are in here together has something to do with George, Ginny, and Harry?"

I nodded. "Everything to do with it, actually." Ron nodded from where he was examining the pygmy puffs. When he glanced up, I lifted an eyebrow.

"For Ginny!" he said. I laughed and glanced over at a smirking Lee. "Really!" Ron cried, looking at me for support. I shook my head.

"We've got to go, Lee, before Ron loses any more of his non-existent masculinity," I said, grinning at Lee. He nodded.

"Bye then, you two. I'll see you later, yeah?"

"Sure. Come on, Ron." I left the shop, him following me.

"What was that about?" he asked, as we sat on a bench by the side of the street. "I'm masculine!"

I rolled my eyes. "Of course. That's why you were looking at pygmy puffs. Come on, let's go… there's really nothing more to do."

Ron growled something the sounded suspiciously like, "I'll tell you were you can put your pygmy puffs," but stood anyways and pulled out his wand. We quickly Apparated back to the Burrow, landing in the kitchen. I sank into a chair, grinning up at Ron.

"Thanks, I had fun today," I smiled at Ron. He grinned back, but his smile disappeared immediately as we heard the distinct noise of someone Apparating in the garden of the Burrow. I stood and moved to Ron's side, both of us pulling out our wands that we had tucked back into our jackets after arriving.

The door was pushed open, and Harry and Ginny walked into the kitchen. Ron sighed in relief and I glared at the two of them, sitting back in my chair.

"Must you two scare the hell out of me every time you visit?" I snapped, ignoring Ron's jubilant exclamation of, "Wow, Harry, you made Hermione curse!" Harry smiled apologetically.

"Sorry. We set an Apparation detector on the house so we could tell when you'd come back from Diagon Alley." Next to him, Ginny smirked.

"Did you two have fun?" she asked, waggling her eyebrows. I glared at her.

"Yes, thank you, Ginevra," I answered. "Was there something you needed?"

Harry took Ginny's hand. "Nope, just wanted to make sure Ron got back without splinching himself."

"Hey!" cried Ron indignantly. Ginny and Harry smiled.

"Bye, Ronnie," said Ginny, and then she and Harry Disapparated. Ron glowered at where they had been standing. I rolled my eyes.

"Relax, Ron. Listen, I have some stuff I want to check for work, so I'll see you tomorrow, probably."

"Going to bed, then?" Ron asked, yawning. "Good idea." I rolled my eyes again.

"Right, enjoy your nap." I went to go up the stairs, but paused a moment, smiling at him. "Thanks for today, Ron."

"Welcome," he said, putting his head on the table. I went upstairs, shutting my door and pulling on sweatpants and a tee-shirt. I pulled a book from my shelf and set it on the bed, beginning to read.

Before I could read more than a page, I was asleep.

))((

The tent was pretty crowded. Neville, Lee, Seamus, Lavender, George, Harry, and Ginny were all crowded around the screen.

The plan had gone off without a hitch. Ginny and Harry had Apparated back to the tent to see George touching the camera to Hermione's arm as she Disapparated. A moment later Ron and Hermione had been in Diagon Alley.

As they talked about going to separate places, Harry smacked his forehead. "Shoot! I didn't think of that!"

"But I did," said George, grinning evilly, and pointed to someone in the crowd. Lavender Brown. She pointed her wand at Ron and Hermione, casting a spell. A moment later, the two had their hands clasped together. "I owled her the spell last night," explained George. "Every time they try to go to different places, their hands will stick together. I arranged for Seamus and Lavender to be there... plus a few other people."

After Seamus and Lavender had separated from Ron and Hermione, they Apparated to the tent, arriving hand in hand. Ginny glanced at them and gasped. "You're together?!"

"Yeah, but George asked us to try and make Hermione and Ron realize their feelings for each other- and what better way to do that than to introduce a potential rival?" answered Seamus, grinning. Ginny laughed and shook her head.

Neville, once he had parted ways with the two, also Apparated back to the tent. Lee did the same. Both had been asked by George to suggest that Ron and Hermione were a couple. Together with everyone else, they watched the end of the not-date. Once Ron and Hermione were home, Harry and Ginny Apparated to the Burrow to talk to them, then returned to the tent.

"Wow, George," Ginny said, glancing around at everyone who was in the tent, drinking tea and eating chocolate frogs and Every Flavor Beans. "You really got everyone together for this."

"Yep," said George. "When I do something, I do it right."

George, Ginny, and Harry didn't get to sleep until Lee (the last one to go) left at one-thirty that morning.

**A/N: **If I have any spelling/grammar/general mistakes, I'm sorry- I was rushing to get this chapter out and I've had a lot of distracting stuff on my mind.

Review!

))Riiko Shea((


	9. Week Two, Day One

**A/N:** Hello! Shockingly, I actually had some free time to work on this chapter, and I decided to post it for all my lovely readers! Thanks so much to all of you for your ideas and for your reviews (especially my anonymous reviewers who I can't thank individually.) Please keep it up!

And on we go to the first day of Week Two!

**Impossibly Insufferable**

**Chapter Nine**

**Week Two, Day One**

Harry woke up with a headache the morning of the second week. He forced himself to stand, and stumbled into the bathroom.

Once there, he rummaged through the cabinets and found a headache potion, which he swallowed. A moment later, feeling much better, Harry walked to Ginny's bed and shook her gently awake, before throwing a pillow at her brother on the sofa.

Ginny stirred and looked up at Harry. "Hey," she murmured, pushing herself up slightly to kiss him. He smiled.

"Good morning- it's the first day of the second week, you know," he said against her lips. Ginny smiled and pulled back.

"That's right- I'd almost forgotten!" She stood and glanced over at her still snoring brother. Rolling her eyes, she pulled out her wand.

A moment later, George was upside-down. "What that hell?!" he shouted, flailing around. He looked around and saw his sister. Ginny smirked and released him so he fell onto the sofa.

"Morning, Georgie," she said. "Come on, breakfast time. And then entertainment."

"How about entertainment first?" asked Harry, already plugging in the camera. "It's already eleven!"

Quickly, George and Ginny took seats at the kitchen table as Harry hit the "on" button.

))((

**Ron**

I woke up at nine-thirty or so the morning after my not-date with Hermione and glanced over at the small calendar Percy had given me for my birthday last year. I had marked it with a countdown to the last day of the dare.

"Whoa," I muttered. "Day one of week two? We've made it through a week?" Shaking my head, I grabbed some fresh clothes and ambled down to the bathroom to shower and change.

While I showered, I thought of the not-date. It had been weird to watch Seamus flirt with Hermione, and even weirder to have Lavender flirt with me. And then to have both Neville and Lee mention that they thought we were going out…. Well, something was obviously going on.

When I was done with showering and getting dressed I went downstairs, glancing around the kitchen for Hermione. Strangely, the kitchen was empty. I moved down the hall, glancing into the sitting room and knocking on the bathroom door.

_Must not be up yet,_ I thought. That was surprising- Hermione was notorious for not being able to sleep late. Sighing, I went back into the kitchen and looked in the fridge for something to drink. I'd been having more tea than I knew what to do with, so I ultimately decided on pumpkin juice. Pouring it into a glass, I sat at the table.

By eleven, I was bored out of my mind. I grabbed another glass, poured some more juice into it, and went up the stairs to Hermione's room.

The door was closed, and I knocked. There wasn't an answer, so I slowly pushed the door open and peeked in.

Hermione was sitting up against the headboard of her bed, reading a book. The spine of the book, which was facing me, read "Joan of Arc". Next to Hermione on her night table was a wireless, playing some sort of Muggle music. She was humming along, biting her lip as her eyes scanned the page. I stepped into her room.

"Joan of Arc, huh?" I asked. She squeaked and clutched her heart.

"Ronald, you scared me!" she gasped. I smiled and handed her the glass.

"Sorry," I said, not sorry at all. Hermione rolled her eyes as I sat on the edge of her bed. "Who's Joan of Arc?"

Hermione's eyes lit up and she scooted around so she was sitting on the edge of her bed next to me, balancing the book in her lap. "Joan of Arc was one of the first female leaders of her time. She was basically a knight and won all these battles for the French army in the early fourteen-hundreds," she explained. I blinked.

"So what happened to her?" I asked.

"Um, she was burned at the stake when she was nineteen because of her religion. She's a Catholic saint now." Hermione glanced up at me and smirked. "Pleasant, huh?"

"Well, yeah, it's shocking." I made a face. "Why on earth would you want to read something like that this early in the morning?"

"Because," Hermione smiled, standing to open her curtains, "Joan of Arc is amazing! I mean, she practically started the whole 'anything guys can do girls can do better' mentality."

"Girls can do just as well," I corrected. "And men still have the advantage over women physically."

Hermione snorted. "Only you would focus on that aspect of a conversation about Joan of Arc." She sighed and then, glancing at me added, "And only _some _men have the advantage." I gaped at her.

"Are you implying something, Granger?"

"Maybe, Weasley," Hermione retorted, grinning. I stood.

"Fine, you asked for it," I said, and rushed her. Hermione squeaked and tried to run around me, but with my long arms I easily apprehended her and pulled her close. She squirmed, trying to hit me, but I grabbed her wrists and pinned them together with one hand. Quickly, I bent and hooked my other arm around her knees, pulling her legs out from under her and hooking them over my shoulder so she was suspended upside-down against me.

"Ron! Put me down!" shouted Hermione, wriggling against my grip. I laughed.

"Do you give up?" I asked, tightening my grip around her legs.

"I give up!" she cried. I sighed, but decided to pity her.

"Very well, I shall spare you," I said magnanimously. I let go of her hands so she could prevent her head from hitting the ground, and then released her legs. Panting, Hermione sank to the ground. I looked down on her, smirking. "Ha. I wi-"

Hermione threw herself forward and grabbed my knees, pushing me backwards. I fell with an "Oof!" as the air whooshed out of my lungs. Hermione crawled forward, straddling my waist triumphantly.

"Ha! I win!" she laughed. "Proof that girls can be stronger than guys!"

I tried to slip out from under her, glaring. "You caught me by surprise. That was hardly a fair fight." Hermione laughed and leaned forward to put one hand on either side of my head, more effectively trapping me.

"I think you're just being a sore loser," Hermione whispered, grinning. I scowled as Hermione shifted her weight- and then froze as I realized where, exactly, I was.

From the shock in Hermione's eyes, she had just come to the same realization. I stared at her and she stared back. Her eyes were a deep, sort of chocolate-y brown, and her face was flushed pink from laughing. Then, quickly, I glanced at her lips.

They were pink. _She put something on them_, I decided, meeting her eyes again and shifting slightly under her. _They look nice. Very… kissable._

What?!

"Hermione," I murmured, trying not to sound as breathless as I was. "You're still sitting on me." Hermione broke eye contact with a start.

"I know, but you're so comfortable," she laughed, and quickly rolled off me onto the floor. I stood and smiled awkwardly at her. Hermione smiled awkwardly back.

"Well, um..." I shifted from foot to foot. "I'm in my room if you need me."

"Sure," Hermione nodded. I quickly left her room, trying to think of anything but Hermione's pretty pink lips.

In my room, I looked around, trying to decide what to do. I could clean some more, I guessed. Maybe under my bed.

I knelt and peered under it, grimacing at the sheer amount of junk that had accumulated there over the years. Slowly, I started working, pulling out a chewed up Quaffle (thanks, Sirius), half a dozen sugar quill wrappers, an old newspaper from third year sometime, an old blue tee-shirt I'd been looking for, a sock, and a mitten, among other things.

I threw out everything except the tee-shirt and the Quaffle. That I kept, for the memories.

Back in our fifth year, it had been - summer, I guessed. Harry, Ginny, Hermione and I had been playing catch in one of the rooms of Grimmauld Place, trying to relax. Sirius and Remus had stepped into the room and watched us as Ginny tried to throw the ball over Hermione's head, Hermione threw backwards to Harry, Harry bounced it off his head to me, I juggled it on my knees and then kicked it to Ginny, over and over again, each of us trying to be the most creative.

After a little while, though, I started to get bored. The Quaffle, one we'd found lying in one of the hallways of the house, was a little deflated and was lousy for playing catch. As we were about to admit defeat and succumb to boredom and stress again, Sirius laughed and leaped across the room, changing into Snuffles as he went. Instantly he had the ball and went rocketing out of the room down the stairs.

Thus had begun the chase that lasted the rest of the day as Snuffles led us on an animagi-hunt around the house in an effort to get the ball back. Remus, George, and Fred even got into the action, racing around just as enthusiastically to try and get our useless ball back.

Finally, at eleven-thirty that night, Sirius exited a bedroom to hand me and Harry, who were hunting together, a rather chewed up Quaffle with a grin that made him look about twenty years younger. Remus came up behind us and grinned, clapping his best friend's shoulder, the two looking much like I imagine they must have as young Marauders.

It had been a good day.

Suddenly, a scream interrupted my reverie. Dropping the old Quaffle I grabbed my wand and raced outside. "Hermione? Hermione?!"

There was silence. I raced downstairs, shouting Hermione's name. Then, softly, I heard sobbing from the direction of Bill's old room. I shot down the stairs and into his room to see Hermione, tears streaming down her face, her wand pointed at the shaking wardrobe.

"Hermione?" I asked. Hermione turned and whimpered, her eyes overflowing as she flew at me, hugging me tightly and burying her face in my shoulder. My eyes widened. "What's wrong?" I asked, patting her back.

"B-boggart," she whispered. "I heard it banging around and thought maybe it was Pig, you know how he always gets locked in closets and stuff, and it was a boggart, and it scared the hell out of me," she whimpered. I winced. If Hermione was saying hell, then she was definitely upset.

"Back up, then, I'll get it," I said, pulling out my wand and gently pushing her behind me. Hermione obliged, readying her wand in case I needed help.

"Ready?" I asked.

"Ready," Hermione murmured, his voice shaking slightly. I nodded and flicked my wand at the wardrobe.

It flew open with a bang and into the room emerged a huge spider, complete with clicking mandibles and furry, probing legs. Hermione squeaked and the spider's beady eyes focused on her, slowly starting to change into Hermione's boggart shape.

"No!" I hissed. "_Riddikulus!_" The spider paused, its edges sort of fuzzy as it stopped changing into Hermione's boggart. "_Riddikulus!_" I snapped again.

That was enough, and the boggart disappeared with a small pop. Hermione heaved and sigh of relief and sank to the floor, clutching her heart. "Thanks, Ron," she whispered. I smiled slightly and squatted next to her.

"You all right, then?" I asked. "What scared you so much, anyways? This is very unlike you."

Hermione bit her lip. "Just a bad memory…" She shuddered and I wrapped an arm around her shoulder, giving her an awkward, one-armed hug.

"It's okay, Hermione." I stood and helped her up. "Listen, you go rest upstairs, I'll bring you some tea later, okay?"

Hermione nodded and left Bill's room, heading upstairs. Sighing, I stretched and then moved into the kitchen.

The clock (not Mum's old one, she had thrown that one out after Fred died,) read three in the afternoon. I had spent a longer time cleaning up than I had thought. I reached into the cupboard and grabbed a mug and started boiling water on the stove.

When it was done, I brought the tea up to Hermione's room, only to find she had dozed off on her bed. I smiled and put a warming charm on her mug before setting it on her night table. Then I pulled one of Ginny's blankets off her bed and on top of Hermione before tip-toeing out of her room.

Once in my own room, I dozed off as well, wondering if I should bother waking up to make dinner.

I didn't.

))((

Ginny, Harry, and George were all starving. None of them had wanted to leave the camera screen for more than a moment and had only had the chance to grab an apple or banana during breaks in the action.

Now, Ginny stood and stared boiling water to make spaghetti and George and Harry, under her direction, began making Mrs. Weasley's famous sauce. An hour later, the three sat at the table and began eating.

Midway through the meal, George glanced up at Ginny and Harry with a mischievous look on his face. "Even though it seems Ronnie and Hermione are well on their way to becoming a couple, I just realized that there's one person we didn't get in on the action."

Ginny raised an eyebrow as she swallowed her bite. "Who?"

Harry grinned at George. "You mean Viktor, don't you?" he asked, his eyes shining with laughter. George nodded.

"Exactly. I think I'm going to send him an owl, just to get a little trouble started… and I happen to know he's nearby visiting his grandparents at one of their many residences," George explained. Ginny smirked.

"You've had this planned from the very beginning, haven't you?" she asked. George laughed.

"Of course!" He got up and grabbed some parchment and a quill. When he was done, the letter said,

_Viktor,_

_This is George Weasley- I met you at Hogwarts during the Triwizard Tournament. I was wondering if you would be adverse to meeting with myself, my little sister Ginny, and Harry Potter at the enclosed location to discuss some mischief-making. _

_Thanks,_

_George _

George enclosed the location of the tent and quickly sent Rowan off with the letter. Smiling in a self-satisfied manner he sat back down and nibbled at his pasta. Ginny rolled her eyes and took her empty dishes to the sink. Harry smirked and did the same, George following a moment later.

It didn't take much longer for Harry to doze off, and Ginny followed, curling up next to him on the sofa, her head on his shoulder.

George walked around the sofa and smiled down at the two, showing a tenderness that only Fred and Ginny (when she was very little) had ever seen. He gently pulled a blanket over his sister and his friend before stretching out on Harry's bed.

**A/N: **Sorry for any mistakes- I've been really busy/stressed in these past couple of days.

Also, if I got anything wrong about Joan of Arc, I'm sorry- I'm not quite sure how reliable the Internet is on that subject.

Oh, and I'm not trying to make any sort of statement about religion or anything, Joan of Arc was just a good way from me to bring up the whole "anything guys can do girls can do better" thing.

Review!

))Riiko Shea((


	10. Week Two, Day Two

**A/N:** Well, I'm back… and midterms are beginning…

Anyways, thank you all again so much for the reviews! Please keep it up!

AND PLEASE, PLEASE READ TO THE END AND READ MY LAST AUTHOR'S NOTE!!! THAT IS EXTREMELY IMPORTANT!!!!

Here we go!

**Impossibly Insufferable**

**Chapter Ten**

**Week Two, Day Two**

Harry woke to the irate hooting of an owl on the second morning of the second week of the bet. Moaning, he buried his nose in Ginny's hair and tried to ignore Rowan, but the bird was not taking "no" for an answer.

Finally, George bellowed, "POTTER! Get your bloody bird to shut up!" Harry swore under his breath but untangled himself from Ginny and stood.

Rowan hooted happily when she was that he was up, and offered him a letter that was clutched in one talon. He took it and fed the owl a treat before shooing the bird out of the tent. Then he opened the letter.

"George, Ginny, look at this!" Harry laughed, rereading the letter. Ginny groaned.

"Read it to me," she said, sinking down on the sofa until all Harry could see of her was the very top of her head. Her brother nodded from where he was reclining on Harry's bed.

"Fine then."

The letter read:

_George,_

_I remember you and your sister- you are part of the large red-haired family, no? Hermione spoke very often about Ginny and Ronald (your brother), but I believe you bothered her very much._

Here George laughed. "Yes! My life is complete!" he crowed. Harry rolled his eyes.

_I would like to help with your mischief. I will meet with you at eight at the place you mentioned._

_Viktor Krum_

Ginny glanced at the clocked and gave a squeak. "It's seven-forty-five! Shoot!" Instantly she was up and running around the tent, grabbing clothes and then locking herself in the bathroom. Harry rolled up the letter and then plugged in the camera.

Five minutes later, Ginny stepped out of the bathroom, looking neat and, in Harry's eyes, extremely pretty. As George stepped into the bathroom with clean clothes in his arms, Harry stepped forward and kissed Ginny's forehead. "You look nice," he said. "Trying to impress someone?"

Ginny grinned. "Yep, I'm planning on sweeping Vicky off his feet." Harry rolled his eyes and finished readying the camera. A moment later he took his turn in the bathroom.

As he emerged a minute later, there was a crack outside the tent, and then a distinct voice called, "George Veasley?"

George grinned. "In the tent, Krum!" he called. A moment later, Viktor Krum entered the tent.

He was just as imposing as he had been when Harry had last seen him at Bill's wedding. His broad shoulders were covered in robes, not regular Muggle clothing, and his dark hair and eyes made him look faintly sinister. He smiled and shook hands with George, who had stood to greet him.

"Thanks for coming," George said as he sat again.

"It is not a problem," Krum said, shaking hands with Harry. "Hello, Potter. It's been a long time."

"Yeah… Nice to see you," Harry answered. Ginny also shook hands.

Finally, all four were seated at the table, half an eye on the quiet Burrow on the camera screen as George filled Krum in on the bet and everything that had happened so far.

When he was finished, Krum sat back and stroked his chin ruminatively. "So, am I to assume you vould like me to make your brother, Ronald, jealous? Enough so to confess his feelings for Hermione?"

George nodded as Harry noted absently that Viktor could now say 'Hermione' correctly. "Or vice versa... Hermione seems closer to cracking," George said. "If you agree, I can give you a more complex plan…"

Krum thought for one more moment before smiling. "Very vell, I am in need of something fun to do. Tell me your idea, Veasley."

George grinned triumphantly before leaning forward conspiratorially. "Right, mate, here's what you've got to do…"

))((

**Hermione**

I woke up on the second morning of the second day sweating and shaking. Bad dreams had kept me tossing and turning that night and basically made deep sleep impossible.

Really, that boggart had startled me more than it had scared me. I hadn't seen a boggart since third year when it had turned into McGonagall failing me. So when the black cloud had appeared and begun to form, I had been a curious as to what it would turn into, even as I prepared to use the Riddikulus spell.

And then, the smoke had formed into Ron, lying with his hands by his sides, his face pale, each freckle showing up in high relief on his face. Instantly, I realized what this fear was.

Boggart-Ron looked exactly how he had looked after being poisoned in our sixth year, when I had been terrified that he was dead. Even as I screamed, I thought, frantically, _This is my worst fear? Something happening to Ron?_

Then, Ron had come, and gotten rid of the boggart. He had hugged me. And for some reason, his long, strong arms had seemed to make everything better.

Suddenly, my reverie was interrupted by an owl tapping on the window. Sighing, I rolled out of bed and pulled out the window, allowing Harry and Ginny's owl, Rowan, to soar into the room. The bird dropped a rolled piece of parchment on the bed, flying out of the room without pausing.

I watched it go, before picking up the letter. As I did, someone knocked on my door. No prizes for guessing who. "Come in!"

"Hi, Hermione," Ron said, stepping in the room with a smile. "What's that?"

"A letter from Harry, Ginny, and George… I don't what it says yet," I answered, unrolling it. Ron moved to stand behind me and read the letter over my shoulder as I did.

It read:

_Ron and Hermione,_

_You'll be having a visitor at around noon. I think you'll be very happy when you see who it is._

_Love,_

_George (Harry, and Ginny)_

I lifted an eyebrow as I reread the letter before turning to look at Ron. "Who do we know who might be coming to visit us?" I asked. Ron shrugged.

"Dunno. Luna, maybe?" He sat down on my bed and yawned, stretching. I shook my head.

"Not Luna, she's on a big expedition with her dad right now in the Netherlands or something," I said. Ron nodded and I glanced at the clock. 9:30. "I'm going to go get something for breakfast, you?"

"I'll come," Ron said. He trailed after me down the stairs. In the kitchen, I made toast and Ron scrambled eggs. At ten, we sat down with mugs of tea and our breakfast. We sat in silence for a while until Ron pulled a folded piece of parchment out of his pocket, smoothed it out, and passed it to me.

I looked at it and smiled. It was the essay on the Diamond Surveillance that I had helped him with days ago, with a big O on the top. I glanced up at Ron to find him smiling bashfully. "I got it this morning… It's my first O on an Auror's assignment, I usually just get Es." He looked at his plate and muttered, "Thanks for your help."

"Oh, you're welcome, Ron. This is really great!" I pushed the parchment back across the table and he folded it up again, sending it up to his room. We sat in silence for a little longer until I finished my breakfast and put the plate in the sink.

Slowly, I started washing it, using my wand instead of the faucet to get it done faster. A moment later, Ron put his plate in the sink as well. I sighed and began to wash his, too.

Ron watched me for a moment, and then elbowed me gently out of the way. "I'll do it," he said, pulling his own wand from his pocket. I shook my head and pushed him away, stepping in front of the sink again.

"You made the eggs," I reminded him. "So I wash the dishes." Ron pushed my shoulder and, when I stumbled backward slightly, slipped in front of the sink.

"You made tea and toast," he countered. "So I wash."

I glared and pushed Ron out of the way again. "No, I wash." Ron sighed and I smirked, happy to have won, only to suddenly be blasted with water.

I shrieked and whirled around, my tee-shirt and pajama pants soaking wet, my hair dripping down my back, to face a smirking Ron. He stepped in front of the sink, and, in a tone that brooked no further argument, said, "I wash."

Well, that little action couldn't go unpunished, so, needless to say, Ron was soon soaking wet as well. He glared and pointed his wand at me.

Thus began a battle of epic proportions as the two of us raced around the kitchen, dodging behind the kitchen chairs, crawling under the table, and shooting jets of freezing water at each other. Ron's tee-shirt was soon clinging to his chest and his hair was a whole shade darker from wet. My own clothes were sopping and my hair hung in damp curls around my face.

Finally, I tried to scramble up on top of the counter for better leverage, only to have Ron grab me around the waist and pull me back, laughing, our damp clothes sticking together, Ron's big hands clutching at my waist while my hair flew in his face.

Suddenly, someone cleared their throat primly. Ron and I froze and slowly turned, Ron still easily supporting my weight, to see our guest.

Standing there, looking slightly amused, was Viktor Krum.

"Viktor!" I gasped, sliding down from Ron's arms. I quickly dried myself off with my wand before running up to hug him. Viktor hugged me back, laughing.

"It is good to see you, Hermione. But I feel I vas interrupting something." He released me, glancing over my shoulder at Ron, who was standing by the counter, awkward and still dripping wet. Viktor extended a hand, and Ron quickly dried himself off and shook it.

"Don't worry, you're not interrupting anything," Ron said, surprising me with his politeness. "It's nice to see you, Krum."

"The same, Veasley," Krum responded, smiling at him. "It has been a long time."

"It has!" I exclaimed. "Let me dry the kitchen off and we can talk." Quickly, I began drying the kitchen with my wand, motioning to Ron to help me. He looked irritated, but pulled out his wand as well and began drying off the table and chairs and straightening them out.

Soon, the three of us sat down together. "Are you the visitor that George said was coming?" asked Ron. "If so, you're a little early."

Viktor grinned. "Yes, I am, and I know I am a little early, but I could not vait to see Hermione again. And you, of course," he hastened to add, but I could tell Ron was not fooled. I smiled sympathetically at him, only to have my attention claimed by Viktor again. "Vhat are you two doing here together? Veasley and his sister and Potter didn't explain why the two of you were here…" He trailed off and looked at me expectantly. I sighed.

"Well… You know how Ron and I were going out after the war?" I asked. Viktor nodded. "Right. So, we broke up, and we've been, uh…" I looked at Ron for help.

Ron sighed. "We started biting each others' head off, so I made a bet with Harry and Ginny that we couldn't stay in the same house together without one of us walking out, or getting back together."

Viktor nodded in understanding. "I see now. And you are vinning, correct?"

I nodded. "Yeah, so far. But that's enough about us, what have you been up to?"

Viktor smiled. "My Quiddtich career is going quite vell. I have been very busy in Bulgaria." He glanced over at me. "But England still holds much appeal for me."

I blushed. I simply couldn't help it. After all, Viktor was very good-looking, in a dark sort of way. He smirked when I did so, and turned to Ron, who looked slightly worried. "And you, Veasley? Vhat have you been doing?"

Ron seemed to visibly shake himself and he gave a small smile. "I've been training to be an Auror for the past couple of years. My training's almost done." He shrugged. "That's mostly it- it takes up a lot of my time, training does."

"I vould imagine," said Viktor, before turning to me again. "And you, Hermione? Are you also an Auror?"

I shook my head. "No, I opted to go into Magical Law and that sort of thing- I'm also almost done with my training to be a Ministry employee."

Viktor nodded. "I alvays knew you vould do big things, Hermione," he smiled. I blushed again, feeling incredibly awkward. Ron snorted softly from his place across from me and then stood abruptly.

"I'll be upstairs, if you need me," he announced, quickly moving towards the stairs. My eyes widened and I smiled at Viktor.

"If you'll just excuse me…" I jumped up and raced up the stairs, catching Ron at the landing of his room. "Ron!"

"What?" he asked irritably. "Go talk to Vicky some more. I'm getting out of your way so you two can have some private time."

I winced. "Listen, Ron," I began. "First, you're being awfully rude by just marching out. I thought you two might have even have been getting along!"

"I can only get along with him for so long," Ron muttered. Louder, he said, "So, that's first. Next?"

I sighed. "I don't want to be alone with him. I mean, clearly he wants something from me that's… not what I want."

Ron looked at me searchingly, and I met his gaze, blushing lightly again, remembering kissing Viktor that one time and all the times he had mentioned the two of us maybe going out. I also remembered that, from his letter, it had seemed he had gotten over his previous infatuation.

Finally, Ron sighed and his shoulders sagged. "Fine," he said. "I'll come down with you, but only for a little while. I still have to do my Auror's assignment."

I smiled and gave him a quick hug before grabbing his hand and pulling him down the stairs. "Sorry, Viktor," I apologized when the two of us were seated at the table again. Viktor smiled.

"It is no problem." There was an awkward silence, before Ron spoke.

"Hey, since Krum's here, which is breaking the rules of this bet anyways, let's go outside and play some Quidditch."

Viktor nodded. "Absolutely. Hermione, are you going to fly or referee?"

I rolled my eyes. "Referee, obviously," I answered. "I'll go draw up the hoops- you two decide on rules and on the number of points you're playing to, okay?"

Ron and Viktor nodded and I went outside, drawing three glowing circles in the air. A moment later, a relieved-looking Ron and a slightly smiling Viktor came out of the house. I pointed the broom shed out to Viktor before running over to Ron and whispering, "Did he try to get in a fight with you? Why do you look like that?"

Ron just shook his head and blushed slightly, before looking up and catching the broom Viktor tossed at him. "Right, let's go."

The two kicked off and soared away to their respective sides. I stood between them and tossed up a Quaffle.

They played for two hours, zipping back and forth, maneuvering in ways that terrified and impressed me and trying to score with intensity that I had never seen Ron play with before. Finally, I Transfigured a bobby pin that was in my hair into a whistle and blew it. "Ron wins! 100 to 98!"

Ron laughed and punched the air before shaking hands with a slightly disgruntled looking Viktor. I smiled. It had been fun to watch Ron score goal after goal on Viktor. Each goal had been worth two points, so Ron had scored fifty goals on Viktor.

Ron and Viktor landed and walked towards me, leaving their brooms leaning on the house as they followed me into the Burrow. Both were sweaty, and Ron said, "I'm going to take a shower… you can take one if you'd like when I'm done, Krum."

Viktor smiled gratefully. "That vould be nice. Thank you, Veasley." Ron nodded and went upstairs. I sighed and sat down across from Viktor, wondering what, exactly, I would say to him.

I didn't have to worry for the moment- Viktor wasn't even looking at me. He pulled off the gloves he had been wearing while playing for better grip on the ball and, after examining them for holes or rips, tucked them into his pocket.

Now, having seen Ron, Fred, George, Harry, Ginny… well, almost all of my friends perform this action at one time or another, it was not something that should have surprised me. Nor should it have caused me to shriek, lunge across the table, and grab Viktor's hand.

"Oh my gosh, Viktor!"

There, shining inconspicuously on his left ring finger, was a gold band. Viktor swore softly. I glared at him and he sighed.

"Listen, Hermione, and do not interrupt me until I have finished." I bit my lip and waited. "You see, I am married, a year married, in fact, to a very nice Bulgarian girl- she vas a reporter who met me after a match."

I couldn't keep quite a moment longer. "But you were flirting with me! I know you were!" I said indignantly. "I'm not crazy, Viktor!"

Viktor sighed again. "Hermione, I know you are a smart vitch. Who sent me here today?" he asked.

I blinked. "Oh. George."

Viktor nodded. "Right."

"Oh no," I whispered, putting my head in my hands. "I'm so stupid."

Viktor moved so he was sitting next to me, and patted my back. "It is all right," he murmured. "You are not to be blamed for your mistake. I think Veasley may also have been taken in- he seems quite afraid that I am looking to vin your affections again."

I suddenly gasped, my head shooting up. "No! Ron must think I like you now! I- oh crap."

Viktor was smirking at me. I groaned and banged my head against the table. "I just played right into your hands, didn't I?" I whispered.

"A bit, yes," Viktor said. "But vhy have you not said anything to Veasley about your feelings?"

I glanced up at Viktor. "For a bunch of reasons!" I said indignantly. "Not least of which is the fact that I don't like Ronald!"

Viktor rolled his eyes. "Hermione, you are lying to yourself. You do not tell him because you do not vish to be hurt."

I slumped. "Maybe."

"You do not tell him because you do not believe he can forgive you for vhatever caused you to break up in the first place."

"Maybe."

"You do not think that you are vorthy of him."

"All right, I get it!" I snapped, glaring with irritation at the smirk on Viktor's face. He laughed and hugged me, and after a moment's hesitation, I hugged him back.

When he released me, he was smiling. "I vill leave now- I do not think Veasley vill be able to tolerate my presence much longer." I laughed and he stood, marching out the door and Disapperating as soon as it was closed.

A moment later, Ron came downstairs, his hair wet and his shirt clinging slightly to his damp chest. He raised an eyebrow when he noticed Viktor wasn't around. "Where'd Krum go?" he asked. I motioned to the door.

"He left. He had to go talk to his wife about something," I lied. Ron nodded.

"Right, Mia, or something with an "M" was her name, yeah?" Ron asked, sinking onto a chair. I blinked at him.

"You knew?" I squeaked unintentionally. I paused, took a deep breath, and repeated in a much more normal tone, "You knew?"

"Yep, Krum told me when we were deciding the terms of our game," Ron explained, combing his bangs with his fingers. I flushed and inwardly swore at Viktor Krum. _Stupid Bulgarian making me confess my feelings when I didn't have to_.

I sat down as well. "So what do we do now? It's," I glanced at the clock, "one-thirty. We still have a while to do something."

Ron frowned and thought. "Hm…" Suddenly, his stomach growled. I laughed.

"Let's make something to eat," I suggested. Ron nodded and got up, moving to the cabinet where Mrs. Weasley kept her cookbooks.

"Muggle way or Wizarding way?" he asked, pulling out a thick book and thumbing through it.

"Muggle," I said. Ron nodded and set the cookbook on a stand to keep it open to the right page. It was open to a page entitled, 'Ronnie's Chocolate Cake'. I glanced at Ron, lifting an eyebrow. Ron blushed.

"It's my recipe… I made it up a year or so ago and Mum put it in the Weasley family cookbook." I peeked around the book to see the cover, where it was embossed faintly with gold lettering spelling out 'The Weasley Cookbook'. I smiled.

"Well, let's test it out, shall we?" I said, and Ron smiled back, grabbing the things we would need.

An hour and a half later, Ron and I sat, each of us contently licking a frosting spoon as gazed at our (slightly lopsided) chocolate-chocolate-frosted cake. I glanced at him, watching him lick at his spoon. He had a little chocolate at the corner of his mouth, and suddenly, I was seized by the absurd desire to lick the little smudge away.

Ron, feeling my gaze, glanced up at me and froze, meeting my eyes as I slowly pulled my spoon from my mouth. He bit his lip and took a deep breath. My eyes widened, as both of us leaned inpreceptibly forward…

And then, as one, Ron and I realized what we were doing and leapt apart as if we had been physically tugged apart. I instantly jumped up and grabbed a knife and some plates, and cut us each a piece of cake. Ron took his piece and instantly shoved a bite in his mouth.

"Mmm… itf ghood," he said, his mouth full. I rolled my eyes and gently tapped Ron across the knuckles with my spoon before I took a bite myself.

"Don't talk with your mouth full- oh… it _is_ good," I said. "I never pegged you for a cook, Ron."

Ron grinned. "Well, you've learned something new." He took another bite and sighed in contentment.

I took another bite as well. "This is really, really good," I reiterated. Ron raised an eyebrow.

"Your surprise is almost insulting." I laughed and we finished our cake in silence.

Finally, I grabbed my plate and put it in the sink. "I'm going to go upstairs and read, probably go to sleep or something," I told Ron. He nodded.

"Sure, I still have to do my assignment. I'll see you tomorrow," he answered, smiling.

I went upstairs and read for a while, before falling asleep.

))((

Viktor had Disapparated to the tent after talking to Hermione, where he sat and watched the rest of the action. When Hermione had gone to her room and the action had effectively stopped, George, Ginny, and Harry began to dance around the tent. "Krum!" shouted George. "You basically got her to confess! That's more than anyone has been able to do!"

Viktor laughed, standing from where he had sat at the kitchen table. "I must return to my grandparents' house. Thank you for the mischief."

George, Harry and Ginny all stood and shook hands with him. "Thank _you_," George said. "You were a huge help."

Viktor smiled, stepped out of the tent, and Disapparated. When he had gone, the remaining three looked at each other. Then, all of them burst out laughing.

"We've almost won!" shrieked Ginny. "We've almost won! What's it going to take?"

George shrugged. "I don't know… I'm going to sleep, but I'll think on it." He lay down on Harry's bed and was soon snoring softly.

Ginny and Harry glanced at each other and then walked to the sofa, where they quickly began making up for lost time when George had been around.

They fell asleep in each others' arms.

**A/N:**

All right, I know it's a little early for this… we're only on Week Two Day Two, but at minimum, I only have six chapter left planned in my head.

So here's my idea.

I have an idea for a sequel, possibly called "Possibly Sufferable". It'll be the same format, but this time, it's a bet between Ron and Ginny, and it'll only be a week, taking place about two year after the events of this story. But, if no one wants a sequel, I'm not going to do it.

Here's where you come in.

The poll feature doesn't seem to working for me (or maybe it is and I just can't tell). Anyways, REVIEW or PM me with your vote!!! PLEASE! It's so important that you do!

Then, if you have any more ideas or title ideas, or anything else, PM me or leave it in a review!

Also, sorry for any mistakes.

))Riiko Shea((


	11. Week Two, Day Three

**A/N:** Hello! I survived midterms! (Or so I say... let's see when I get my grades back =p)

Also... THANK YOU FOR THE REVIEWS!!! I nearly cried when I received the feedback for the last chapter- you guys make me feel so lucky!

Anyways, please READ TO THE BOTTOM A/N AGAIN! I MEAN IT!!! IT'S IMPORTANT!!!

P.S. kareem33- I love your idea for a second follow-up story... do you think you could give me permission to use your idea in your next review?

Everyone else, here we go! AND READ TO THE BOTTOM!

**Impossibly Insufferable**

**Chapter 11**

**Week Two, Day Three**

"I KNOW WHAT TO DO!" shrieked George the morning of Day Three. Rowan hooted in surprise from her perch, Harry swore and fell off the couch, and Ginny squeaked and whirled around, pointing her wand at her brother.

"Know what?" growled Harry irritably. George jumped up and down, unperturbed.

"I know what to do to get them together!" he said, dancing around. Harry sat up on the floor and blinked.

"What's your idea?" asked Ginny, sitting back down on the couch.

"Okay, let's plug in the camera and I'll tell you…"

))((

**Ron**

"Mmphh..." I rolled over onto my side, feeling exhausted. I opened my eyes and glanced at my wrist where my watch ticked- two o'clock.

"That's weird," I muttered. "Not even I sleep that late…"

And then I glanced around.

"Oh my God."

For some reason, I was in the kitchen. Which was freezing. Like, I could see my breath. And I was in my red-and-gold-check boxers and tee-shirt… my pajamas. Without my wand. Great.

Shivering, I stood, dancing slightly to stay warm. "I'm going to kill you, George," I spat, my teeth chattering as I tiptoed over to the door, trying to keep anything but my toes from touching the floor.

Unfortunately, the door was locked, and quite firmly. I sank to the floor, wincing as my butt collided with the freezing wood, inwardly cursing George, Harry, and Ginny- clearly, they were the ones responsible for this.

Now the only question was, what the hell were they trying to gain by locking me in the kitchen alo-

"Ron?"

Oh crap.

"Um, Hermione?" I called, standing slowly. I heard a snort from behind the table.

"Who else?" she asked, still from behind the table. There was a brief silence and then she asked, "Are we locked in?"

I sighed. "Yeah."

I heard a muffled word that may have been a swear. "Is something wrong?" I asked.

"Possibly," said Hermione. She sounded furious, and a little nervous. Suddenly, I realized why Hermione hadn't come out from behind the table.

"Are you… umm…" I struggled for a way to ask the question in my mind without sounding like a complete pervert. Hermione groaned.

"Not wearing anything but my pajamas? Yes, that's about right," she snapped. I winced.

"Uh, I'm in the same predicament…" I offered, after another moment's silence.

For a minute, I thought that Hermione wasn't going to answer, but then, slowly, she straightened.

It took all my self-control to keep from gaping at her. She was wearing a tight white tee-shirt, through which I could faintly see a pink bra. Her pajama pants weren't pants, they were definitely shorts… _short _shorts. Then I glanced at her face, and instantly felt bad for my earlier thoughts.

Her whole body was shaking, and her teeth were chattering. I stepped over to her. She blushed slightly, something that I was thankful for- she looked like she needed the heat a blush could give her. "I'm a little cold," she said, grinning slightly.

"I'm going to kill George," I muttered. "Absolutely kill him." I turned away from Hermione started to go through the cabinets, hoping to find a tablecloth or something to wrap her in.

Behind me, Hermione asked, "So you think George did it?" I glanced over my shoulder at her.

"Obviously," I said, as I continued searching the cabinets. Hermione groaned in irritation.

Finally, I hit the right cabinet and pulled out two or three creased tablecloths. One was totally lace and useless, but the other two were thick, durable cloth, perfect for Weasley family dinners. I wrapped both around Hermione's shaking body and then stood awkwardly next to her.

Suddenly, I noticed a letter hanging from the clock on the wall. I stepped over to it and pulled the parchment down. Penned in George's messy script, it read,

_Ron and Hermione,_

_If you're reading this, you've just woken up from the sleeping charm we cast on you. It was necessary, you see, because we had to perform a slightly complicated charm on the kitchen. _

_Which, as you can tell, made it cold. And it can get colder. _

_So all you have to do is figure out how to counteract the spell. Once you do, it will break, and the door will be unlocked. Good luck._

_Love,_

_George (Harry, and Ginny)_

I growled and read the note out loud to Hermione. She snarled something incoherently and looked at me. "Now what do we do?" she asked. I shrugged.

"We see if we can figure out what counteracts the spell," I said. "Shouldn't be too hard, with you here."

Hermione rolled her eyes and bounced on the balls of her feet, trying to stay warm. "Right. Well… what does one typically use to counteract the cold?" She closed her eyes and began pacing in a small circle. I watched her.

"Um… use a warming charm?" I offered. One brown eyes flicked open to glare at me. I winced.

"Something that we can actually use, Ronald," she snapped, closing her eyes again and continuing to pace. I sighed and watched her, before turning to the stove and flicking the switch to see if it still worked. Much to my surprise, it came to life. (Not literally. It got warmer. You know, it turned on.) I laughed.

"The stove still works!" I said, pulling a kettle out of the cabinet and filling it with water from the sink. Hermione's eyes flew open and she smiled.

"Oh, excellent!" she said. "This may work to negate the spell."

I sighed. "I doubt it's that easy," I said. "I was thinking more it would warm us up until we figured out how to negate the spell." Hermione slumped.

"True," she muttered. "Oh well. Make us something to drink anyways." She closed her eyes again and resumed pacing. I dug through the cabinet, pulled out some teabags, and soon had two steaming mugs ready for me and Hermione.

I sat down at the table, and a moment later Hermione plunked herself next to me. Just, as she reached for her tea, the temperature in the room dropped. Our bodies shuddered violently in unison, as a note appeared with a POP on the table. I glowered in its direction before picking it up and reading aloud.

It only said,

_Come on, you two. You'll have to try harder than that._

I glanced over at Hermione, who was chewing her lip as she thought. I waved a hand in front of her eyes. "Hello, Earth to Hermione?"

Hermione blinked and lifted an eyebrow. "I'm just thinking… what do they mean by try harder than that?" I shrugged, but it turned into a full-fledged shiver.

"I don't know," I answered. "What do you think they mean?"

Hermione huffed before taking a drink from her mug. "Well," she finally said, "there could be some spell I'm overlooking…some wandless procedure…"

She continued to mutter to herself as I put my head in my hands, also thinking about our predicament.

Obviously, without wands any of the spells I knew were useless. Turning on warm appliances, making and consuming warm things… none of that worked, either. What else could George be thinking of?

_Oh no._

I froze, staring straight ahead as I remembered…

It had been in December a year or so after the War and the start of me and Hermione's relationship. Ginny, George, Harry, Hermione, and I had been in the kitchen, freezing as snow blew against the windows and the wind howled.

Finally, George had said, "You know what would get it warm in here? Some hot loving." He turned and stared pointedly at me and Hermione. The two of us in turn glanced at each other.

When we made no move towards each other, George sighed dramatically and motioned to Harry. They both stood. Harry gently held Hermione's head and tilted it to her right, while George held my head not-so-gently and did the same. Then both of them pushed us so that me and Hermione's lips met.

Unable to help ourselves, we began kissing. Later, Ginny would tell me that George had sighed and held up his hands to the two of us as if we were a roaring fire before skipping off to find Angelina.

Now, I lifted my head from my hands and turned to Hermione, who was still thinking, her eyes closed, the steam from her tea turning her face pink. How the heck could I explain that to Hermione? "Yeah, I need to kiss you now, and I know it'll be intensely awkward, but really, blame George, it's his fault"? That'd go over real well.

Just as I thought that, the temperature dropped again. I gritted my teeth as a letter appeared with a POP. I snatched it and read, furiously;

_The colder it gets, the longer it'll take to get it warm again._

I sighed and tore the letter up. Hermione was shivering. I took a deep breath and said, "Hermione?"

"Y-yes?" she answered through chattering teeth.

"Remember that day when… um… when George decided that us kissing would warm the kitchen up? Like, two years ago?"

Hermione froze and met my eyes. "Uh… yes. I remember."

I shrugged, breaking eye contact and rubbing the back of my neck awkwardly. "So… yeah. I think this might be similar."

I heard Hermione's mug thump the table. I winced as she said, her voice strangely high-pitched, "Excuse me, Ronald?"

I glanced up at her. "What can I say, Hermione? This bet is about whether we get together or not, and what better way to get us back together then to have us kiss?"

Hermione stood, her breathing rapid. "No. Absolutely not. I'm not going to kiss you."

Just as she said that, the room got about ten degrees colder. I gasped as freezing air hit my bare arms and legs and stared at Hermione. "Listen, we don't really have a choice, do we? And I don't want this any more than you do."

"But… but I don't want to!" Hermione stuttered. "What are you going to do? Force me to?"

The temperature dropped again and I stood.

"Yep, if that's what it takes."

Hermione backed up. "Don't you dare, Ronald Weasley."

I smirked slightly. I mean, she was wrapped in red-checked tablecloths, backing against a wall looking as though she had just seen Voldemort, but really she was just scared of kissing her ex-boyfriend.

Who didn't particularly want to kiss her either.

"Hermione, come on," I begged. The cold was really getting to me… my head was starting to hurt. "I promise, one kiss. Nothing fancy or risqué or anything."

Hermione bit her lip, and the temperature in the room dropped a few more degrees. Her expression changed from musing to furious, and she nodded.

"Fine. Fine, you can kiss me."

I blinked. I hadn't been expecting her to agree. "Seriously?"

"I don't have a choice, do I?" she spat. "If I don't, then George'll turn us into icicles."

I nodded and stepped closer to her. "Ready?" I asked.

She nodded and I took a deep breath, before leaning forward.

Our lips touched, and I instantly forgot my promise that it would be one short kiss. I forgot about the Fight. I forgot about the Bet. I forgot that the kitchen was freezing cold, and that that was the only reason I was kissing Hermione. I forgot that I didn't even _want_ to kiss her. Everything left my mind but the feeling of her lips.

And, much to my surprise, the same thing seemed to be happening to Hermione as she began to kiss me back in earnest, her hands slipping out of the tablecloths to slide around my neck, our mouths opening mutually at the same moment.

Without thinking, I walked her backwards until we hit the wall a few steps behind her. My hands hit the wall on either side of her head, giving me more leverage as we kissed.

But this blissful oblivion could only go on for so long- rather, it could only go on until one of us ran out of air. As we used to when we were going out, we ran out at about the same time and pulled back, gently.

My eyes opened and met Hermione's. She was slightly pink and had a small smile on her face… until we heard the door unlock with a click. I realized that the temperature in the room had gone back down to normal, and I realized…

_Oh bloody buggering hell._

Our eyes both widened and I quickly backed up. Hermione wobbled and I realized she had been leaning on my enough to lose her balance when I moved. Just in time, I jumped forward and caught her. Once she was straight again, I backed up, saying, "Uh, so I'm going to be upstairs, because, you know, the door is open now, so, yeah…"

"Um, okay, I'll be in my room, if you need me, not that you would…" Hermione trailed off and I fled up to my room, slamming my door behind me as I sank onto my bed.

That had not gone well. Not at all. Especially because, for some reason, I couldn't get Hermione out of my mind. As I did my Auror's assignment, tried to read, sat in bed, and then dozed off, she filled my head- her lips, her eyes, her hair… Hermione…

))((

"OH MY GOSH! THEY DID IT! THEY KISSED!" shrieked Ginny. She grabbed Harry's hands and the two started dancing around the tent as George pumped and fist in the air and started singing the Muggle song "We are the Champions".

Finally, the three relaxed slightly. "That was amazing," sighed Ginny.

"No, George's idea that was amazing," Harry responded, remembering the timed freezing charm George had placed on the kitchen, setting it up so that the room would get colder on his command. "Amazing."

George stood. "Let's go out to dinner, where we can discuss the next part of our plan."

Harry and Ginny stood and exited the tent with him, happy to have won a significant victory.

**A/N: **Okay. I realized that I hadn't explained my idea for a sequel in enough detail, so here it is as I explained to a few of my reviewers (SPOILERS for the end of Insufferable with regards to Ron and Hermione):

It is again going to be a Ron/Hermione Harry/Ginny story, and may involve a subplot of some sort, but the bsis is Ron and Ginny make a bet that Ron can't propose to Hermione in a week, because the two have been going out for two years (it's set after Insufferable). And the subplot would be while Harry and Ginny are watching Ron work up the courage to propose to Hermione, Harry's doing the same for Ginny...

So that's the idea. Then I received an idea from the anon. reviewer kareem33 for a Harry/Ginny sequel to the sequel. If I receive permission to use their idea, I'll give a slight preview in the next chapter. Then I received another great idea from chewing-gum-addicted with regards to a sequel after the Harry/Ginny one about Rose and Scorpius that I would like to do as well.

Let me know what you think- the one definite one is the Ron/Hermione one, and I like the other ideas, but if you guys don't like them, let me know!

Please review (and sorry for any mistakes).

))Riiko Shea((


	12. Week Two, Day Four

**A/N:**Everyone, you've done it. Over two hundred reviews. Over one hundred alerts. Over fifty favs. You guys are The. Absolute. Best. I'm serious. You guys have been instrumental in getting me through a few very difficult weeks, and I thank you so much. Please keep it up!

This is my least favorite chapter so far. It was very difficult to write, for some reason, and I'm still not entirely satisfied with how it came out, but hopefully you'll all like it.

Onward!

**Impossibly Insufferable**

**Chapter Twelve**

**Week Two, Day Four**

George and Ginny set up the camera on the fourth day of the second week of the bet while Harry took care of the prep work for the day. A few minutes later, he Apparated back to the tent, smiling and giving his friends the thumbs-up.

George regarded Harry levelly. "I don't know if this is going to work," he said. "I mean, the chances of her actually seeing it are slim."

Harry shrugged as he sat next to Ginny at the table. "Well, if she doesn't see it today, she'll see it at some point. It's simple, but I know Hermione, and I know this will work."

With that, he hit the on button, and George came and sat down as the camera started up.

))((

**Hermione**

I woke up early on the fourth day of the second week of the bet. As I stretched, my stomach growled, but I tried to ignore it, not willing to face…

_No. Don't say his name, because then you'll think of his eyes, and his hair, and his face, and his hands… freckles… lips…_

_Too late, honey._

I growled something incomprehensible as I stared unseeing at my book on Queen Elizabeth. I was currently on what Ginny would have called a "stubborn females" streak, and I had stacked up next to my bed a couple more books on female pirates, Bloody Mary, Anne Boleyn, and more famous women.

Now, I stared idly at the stack and wondered if I could just stay in my room for the rest of the week and read quietly until Harry and Ginny came to release me from my personal hell.

As I contemplated that idea, my mind wandered back to the kiss yesterday, unable to help myself. Said kiss had been unbearably perfect. It had been so perfect, in fact, that it seemed as though Ron and I had never broken up. I nearly asked him out again right there.

Three things stopped me.

The first and least important was the damned Bet. The second was the fact that, well, asking boys out was just not what I did. Especially when the boy in question was Ron Weasley.

Thirdly, was the fact that no one as awful as me should ever as Ron out.

Shocking, I know. Most people looked at it as Ron believed that he didn't deserve me; after all, Ron was the self-conscious one. But really, that wasn't true. Ron was the most deserving person ever- he was kind. He was (despite his protests) loyal, funny, and sweet.

I was cynical. I was mean and jealous. I was the one who had broken us up in the first place with my careless words and my cruel insults. I didn't deserve anyone, especially someone as decent as Ron.

Let's face it- someone as perfect as Ron.

Finally, I gave up on reading and tiptoed downstairs, peering into the kitchen to find Ron hard at work at the stove, making chocolate chip pancakes. I stepped awkwardly into the kitchen and Ron glanced up. He blushed when he saw me but said nothing, merely motioning to the full plate of pancakes on the counter. I grabbed it and looked around the kitchen. Since the table was covered with cooking supplies, so I brought my plate into the sitting room and sat on the worn couch.

A few minutes later, Ron entered the room, still not saying anything, and sat on an armchair with his own plate. We ate in an intensely awkward silence for a while until I felt I was going to burst. _I can't take it! I have to say something!_

"Ron…" I said, just as he started with, "Hermione…"

We regarded each other and then grinned, the awkwardness melting like the cold from the kitchen the day before. "You first," he offered. "Seeing as we're probably going to say the same thing."

I nodded. "I… listen, yesterday, I don't want it to ruin this friendship we have with each other, you know."

Ron grinned slightly. "I agree. So… let's forget about it, okay?" Our eyes met and we both blushed slightly.

"Okay," I agreed. Inwardly, I thought, _I can certainly try. But I highly doubt either of us will be able to forget about it._

We went back to eating, this time with a comfortable silence. After a while, I finished and set my plate on the low table in front of me, glancing around the tired, dim room that still somehow seemed full of life.

Ron continued to eat as I stood and drifted around the room, glancing at the Weasley pictures that graced the wall. I'd seen them all before, of course, but I loved looking at them.

Here, by the window, was Bill and Charlie, around four or five years old, each waving at the camera. Then, by the door, Fred and George, as teenagers, with their arms wrapped around each other wearing matching impish grins. As I watched, Fred jumped on George's back, causing his twin to stumble and laugh.

Over by the mantle was a picture of Ron and Ginny, smiling contently at around fourteen and fifteen, during one of our rare, peaceful breaks at the Burrow. Ginny was reading something, and Ron was doing the turning-over-the-fingers thing with a quill.

Suddenly, I noticed a picture I'd never seen- a small, nondescript, regular sized photo in a plain, unassuming frame on the other side of the mantle. I wandered over and looked at it, only to blink in shock.

I didn't remember this picture being taken. In it, Ron, Harry and I were sitting on the same couch I'd just vacated, me between the two of them. Ron and I were dozing, my head leaning on Ron's shoulder, occasionally slipping down to his chest before resettling itself, and Ron's arm was wrapped securely around my shoulders. On my other side, Harry furtively watched us, a knowing smile on his face. It looked like the picture had been taken just after the Battle, from the worn look on Harry's face. "Ron," I whispered.

Ron swallowed loudly from his chair and stood, coming to stand behind me. "Yeah?"

"Look at this picture."

There was a brief pause, and Ron said, his voice surprisingly calm, "Oh. Well. I don't remember _that _picture being there."

"I don't, either," I said, not removing my gaze from the photo. "I wonder... who put it up?"

"Mum, most likely," Ron sighed. "She gets into sentimental moods like that, nowadays… she'll just get all weepy for about an hour, and in that hour she goes through all her photos, and few more get framed."

I nodded and then turned to face Ron…

Only to find that we were standing much closer together than I had thought. Our cheeks collided and I yelped, staggering backwards as Ron mimicked my actions. I clutched my cheek and glared at him, and he held up his hands in surrender.

"Sorry, sorry!" he exclaimed, walking over to me. "Are you all right?"

I continued to glare. "Yes, I'm fine," I snapped. Ron winced.

"Sorry, I should have warned you I was so close behind you." His blue eyes were apologetic.

"Yes, you should have," I agreed, releasing my cheek and putting my hands on my hips.

"Just one of my many flaws," Ron continued, and I saw an unmistakable twinkle appear in his eyes.

Not quite sure how to respond, and trying desperately not to focus on how nice said eyes were, I nodded. "You _do_ have a lot of those," I answered.

The corners of Ron's mouth tugged upward slightly as he responded, "It also seems I am unable to wipe my face properly after eating chocolate chip pancakes."

I blinked and my eyes automatically flicked from his eyes to his lips, which had little smears of chocolate around them, to his left cheek, which also had a smudge of chocolate. Instantly making the connection, I glanced at the fingers I had used to clutch at my face, and my eyes widened slightly at the brown on my fingertips. "Ron!"

He laughed and grabbed a tissue from a box on the table. "Here, I'll get it." He stepped forward before I had time to react and wiped at my cheek.

Unfortunately, as he pushed at my cheek with the tissue, my head kept moving. Swearing softly, Ron grabbed my other cheek with his right hand, steadying my face so he could swipe more effectively. After a moment, he pulled his left hand back, surveying my cheek. "There- all better," he smirked.

"Thanks," I answered, rolling my eyes. "All though, if you weren't so clumsy, we'd have never had to do that in the first place."

Ron laughed, and I grinned. Slowly, Ron's smile disappeared and he ran the thumb of his right hand, still on my cheek, over my skin. My smile froze and my eyes widened as he repeated the motion.

My brain went into overdrive. _No… he has to stop, or I'll kiss him again!_ I thought wildly. _I… um… oh!_

I reached up and smeared my chocolaty fingers on Ron's cheek. His eyes widened and he yelped, "Hermione!"

I laughed and pulled away from his hand, as Ron reached behind him and coated his fingers with sticky melted chocolate chips from his plate. I squeaked and tried to run, but Ron easily covered the distance between us in two steps and grabbed my arms, left uncovered by my tee-shirt, smearing them with his sticky fingers.

"Ronald!" I yelled, laughing. He grinned, his eyes shining as he jumped back, trying to hide behind an armchair. I chased after him and rubbed my arm on his orange Cannons shirt, leaving a trail of chocolate on the awful tee-shirt.

Ron gaped down at himself, before looking up at me. "You'll pay for that, Hermione," he growled, trying not to grin. He started to move towards me.

My eyes wide, I backed up. Ron stepped forward. I covered my mouth with my hand, able to taste the chocolate on my fingers, as Ron took another step forward.

I backed up again, my back hitting the wall. Ron laughed as I made a little noise, my eyes getting wider. Quickly, he reached out and made twin chocolate handprints on the cloth over my stomach. I glared and dropped the hand from my mouth, swatting at his hands.

"Oh, great, Ron," I said, glancing at my shirt. "Now I have chocolate all over my shirt…"

"You have some... on your face, too." I looked up, meeting Ron's eyes. His cheeks were flushed red from our fight, and I raised an eyebrow.

"Really?" I scrubbed at my cheek. "Where?"

"Not there," Ron answered. "On your lips." He touched his finger to his own lips, leaving a little smudge of chocolate there.

I licked my lips. "You have some on your lips, now, too," I said, trying to ignore how much I wanted to stand on tip-toe and kiss it off. Ron blinked.

"Oh," he said. Neither of us moved, and I took a deep breath, waiting for Ron to dictate our next move.

He leaned forward.

It was barely preceptible, but I noticed it. And that was all it took for my Gryffindor courage to (briefly) rear its head. Throwing caution to the wind, I put my hands on Ron's chest, reached up, and kissed him quickly, instantly backing up after our lips touched despite my body's overwhelming protest.

"There," I said, hoping my face wasn't as bright red as it felt. "Now both of our lips are clean."

Ron nodded, smiling slightly, and only a little awkwardly. "Uh…Yeah." Unable to think of anything else to say, he turned and picked up his plate. Swearing at myself, yet thanking my lucky stars that Ron wasn't making a big deal of my idiotic move, I followed him. We brought our things to the kitchen, and Ron began washing up.

While he did so, I used a few cleaning spells to get rid of the chocolate stains before leaning on the window sill looking over the garden. "Hey," I finally said.

"Hey," Ron answered. I rolled my eyes.

"Let's go outside," I said, turning to face him. He was drying his hands. The stains on his shirt were gone- he had obviously performed the same spells as me.

"Uh, Hermione? There's still a bet going on, remember?" Ron put the towel he was using down on the counter. "That's why we're still here, in the Burrow, alone."

"I am fully aware of the Bet, Ron," I snapped. "But if we stay in the Burrow's garden, and we're together, I don't think that it will make a difference to Ginny, Harry and George, right?"

Ron bit his lip, thinking, and then shrugged. "Makes sense." I grinned and pulled open the door, dancing into the sunlight. A few minutes later, Ron came outside with some parchment, a quill, a blanket, and two apples.

I helped him lay out the blanket and accepted the apple he handed me as he sat down to do his Auror's assignment. Munching happily, I watched him scribble. "What are you writing?"

Ron huffed his bangs out of his face and answered, "The twelve ingredients in Jaw-Locking potion and the nineteen ingredients in the antidote, and why one would need to know them."

"Why would you need to know?" I asked, tossing my core to a gnome under a bush. I already had an idea, but I also knew that talking about things helped Ron retain information better. _I wasn't asking because I wanted to hear his voice, obviously._

"Because sometimes people lock the jaws of their victims, so they can't talk," Ron answered. " The ingredients for the antidote are relatively difficult for even an Aurorto prepare or get their hands on, so it's an effective way for a criminal to get away with committing a crime." He continued to write as his hand caught up with his mouth had already said.

I nodded. "That makes sense." The gnome I had tossed my apple core to was now trying to stuff it into its hole, and was not having much success.

"Of course it makes sense," Ron answered, finishing his sentence and rolling up his parchment. "It _is _for the Aurors."

I smiled at Ron's answer, laying on my back on the blanket. After a moment, Ron did the same thing next to me. "I'd have never guessed when we were first years that you were going to be an Auror," I murmured. Ron laughed softly.

"Me neither." He sighed, and I sighed back. Our arms barely brushed, and soon I dozed off.

When I woke up, the sun was setting, and my back was pressed against something warm and firm. I opened my eyes and found Ron's arm around my waist, and my back to his chest. I swallowed, trying to not feel so absurdly happy to be waking up in this position.

_He's your best mate!_

_Who you kissed. Twice._

_Touché._

I sighed and gently freed myself from Ron's grip before shaking his shoulder. "Ron…" I whispered. He groaned. "Ron… wake up."

Ron sat up with a gasp. I put a hand on his shoulder. "Relax, I just thought we should go in," I murmured, watching as his sleep-fuddled brain made connections rapidly.

"Ah," he finally said. "Okay." Ron stood and helped me fold the blanket, and we went inside.

Ron boiled water and made spaghetti while I dug some of Mrs. Weasley's frozen meatballs from the freezer and defrosted them. Eventually, in a sleepy silence, we ate dinner at the kitchen table, only speaking to pass the salt and to giggle when Ron's meatball rolled from his fork into his lap, leaving a red stain in his lap.

Finally, I yawned my way into the sitting room again, flicking on the wireless to see if anything good was on. I found a comedy program and sank onto the couch. After de-staining his pants, Ron followed me and sat next to me, wrapping his arm around the back of the couch.

As I began to doze off, I knew that I should get up and go to bed, but I couldn't bring myself to move.

My eyes closed, and soon I was asleep.

))((

"Wow," was all George could say. Ginny laughed.

"Your idea was brilliant, Harry!" she said. Harry blushed.

"Well, I knew Hermione would get all interested in that picture… she's sentimental like that, so I knew _some_thing would happen."

George shook his head. "She kissed him again… I don't know what I can say." He turned and gave Harry a mocking bow. "I am at your service, my Liege."

Harry laughed as he helped Ginny clean up the camera and bring butterbeers to the table.

Suddenly, an owl flew into the tent. George paled. "Crap," he whispered. "I hope it's not a…"

The owl dropped a letter at George's feet before perching on Ginny's now outstretched arm. George bent and then sighed in relief, picking up a piece of parchment. Harry looked confused.

"What was that about?" he asked, scratching the owl on Ginny's arm. George grinned.

"That is Ange's owl, Bludger," George said, pointing to the black owl. "I was afraid she was sending me a Howler because I've been gone for so long." He opened the parchment and scanned the contents. "She says she's bored without me."

Harry shrugged. "Have her come here. She's hung out with you enough that I'm sure she could make mischief with the best of them." George grinned.

"Great idea, Harry," he said, grabbing a new piece of parchment and a quill.

Once Bludger had been sent off with George's message, the three turned on the wireless much as Hermione had, and soon, the tent was quite save for their even breathing.

**A/N: **Well, there we have it. I apologize for any mistakes- I'm extremely drained.

Oh, and some people may complain about how much Ron and Hermione sleep. My reason it they're both typically extremely busy. For those of you who have busy schedules like I do, if you get the chance to sleep, you do. Always. So let Hermione and Ron have their rest, okay? ;D

Please review!

))Riiko Shea((


	13. Week Two, Day Five

**A/N:** AHHH! Over two hundred fifty reviews! Over twelve thousand hits! AHHHH!!! ::dances:: Thank you all SO MUCH!

Also, I'd like to announce that with the help of my friend ChoirGirl (you know who you are ;D ) (She doesn't publish on this site, nor anywhere else, by the way. In case anyone was wondering) I now have the end of Insufferable planned. There are approximately three more chapters, and then the sequel will begin.

I hope you like this chapter- again, not one of my favorites, but it's going to be an important set-up for the next two chapters.

Onwards!

**Impossibly Insufferable**

**Chapter Thirteen **

**Week Two, Day Five**

George was up bright and early the next day, bouncing around the tent and generally irritating the heck out of Ginny and Harry with his constant sing-songing of "Ange's coming, Ange's coming!"

By the fiftieth "Ange's coming," Ginny couldn't take it anymore.

"ENOUGH!"

George froze and blinked at his sister. "Was I annoying you?"

"Yes, you great prat," snarled Ginny, slamming the camera's case onto the table with unnecessary force. "Yes, you were annoying me."

George grinned slightly, but before he could open his mouth, there was a crack outside and a voice called, "George? Ginny? Harry?"

"In here, Angelina!" called Harry. She stepped into the tent, holding a small backpack, only to be grabbed by George and spun around. Before she could say anything, he planted his lips on hers and gave her a long, passionate kiss.

"Hey," she gasped, when George finally let up. He grinned.

"Hey."

"Oo-kay, moving on," Harry said hurriedly, before the two of them could get started again. Angelina seemed to remember where she was, and straightened embarrassedly.

"Right. Hello, you two."

"Hi," Ginny smirked.

There was an awkward silence, and then Harry motioned to the chair next to where he was sitting. "Come on, stay a while," he said, and Angelina laughed and sat down, tugging George to the seat next to her.

"Right, so I know about the bet," Angelina explained, leaning forward. "But not about anything else that's been happening."

"Makes sense," Ginny answered. Quickly, she put the first day's tape into the playback slot and she, Harry, and George fast-forwarded through it and the other ten days, pausing at the important parts. Twenty minutes later, Angelina leaned back as Ginny switched the camera back to the view of the quiet house.

"Hmm… okay, so do you want to know what I think our next course of action should be?" She looked at the three. "You may think it's stupid, but I think it's kind of important."

George nodded. "We want to know."

Angelina smiled. "I noticed that while we got a vocal confession from Hermione, we haven't gotten a vocal confession from Ron yet. I think that getting him to admit out loud that he's in love with Hermione will make a huge difference."

Harry stroked his chin. "Hm… You'll be getting it out of him, I presume?"

"Sure, why not?" Angelina shrugged. "I've done more impossible things before."

Ginny looked at Harry and George and nodded. "I think it's a good idea."

"Agreed," said George. He grinned at Angelina. "It's up to you, Ange. Once they're up, you can head in."

Angelina nodded. "This'll be fun," she said, and her mouth twisted into a decidedly George-like grin.

))((

**Ron**

I woke up on the fifth day of the second week of the bet, wincing at how stiff my neck was. Slowly, I straightened it, and then opened my eyes, only to freeze in shock.

Curled up against my side, under my left arm, was Hermione. Her eyes were closed, and one of her hands was curled on my chest as if it was the most natural position for it to be in. She was smiling in her sleep, and as I watched, she murmured something that sounded suspiciously like, "Chocolate," before pressing herself closer to me.

I bit my lip as I stared at her. Hermione. These past days had changed us more than I had thought possible, enough to the point that I sometimes found myself thinking that maybe, just maybe, I l-

_None of that, Weasel, _I snapped at myself. I shifted slightly, trying not to disturb Hermione. She sighed and whispered, "Ron."

My eyes widened and my mouth dropped slightly, before I shook myself, and then Hermione. "Hermione… it's morning."

Hermione sat up with a start, staring wildly around the room before locking her gaze with me. I held up my hands.

"Whoa, relax," I said, grinning slightly. "We fell asleep listening to the wireless, remember?"

Hermione's shoulders relaxed and comprehension returned to her eyes. "Ah, okay." She yawned and stretched her arm, before rubbing her eyes. "Ugh, I feel gross. I need a shower."

I laughed, trying with all my feeble might to not think of Hermione in the shower. "Then go take one. No one's stopping you."

Hermione yawned again. "Yeah, maybe I will… Okay, then. I'm getting in the shower." She stood and left the room, and a moment later I heard her pounding upstairs.

I sighed and leaned back against the cushions of the couch. I stayed like that for about fifteen minutes, and the groaned.

"I'm bored," I muttered to myself, tapping my fingers on the back of the couch. I heard the water start upstairs and smiled slightly. Hermione would be down soon- that was good. I had gotten so used to her being around and bothering me that I was actually bored when she left.

"Not sure that's healthy, mate," I murmured, standing.

Behind me, someone said, "I'm not sure talking to yourself is too healthy either."

I yelped and whirled around, only to smile. "Angelina!"

Angelina grinned at me. "Hey, Ron. How's it going?" She held out her arms and I hugged her, before leading her to the kitchen.

"Good… I'm assuming George sent you?"

Angelina shook her head. "Nah, George didn't send me. He told me about the Bet, so I decided to pay you a visit." She sat down at the kitchen table. "I figured you'd be pretty bored and sick of Hermione, so I decided to come and visit."

I turned away from her and stepped to the counter, pulling two mugs out of the cabinet and putting the kettle on the stove. "Yeah. That's a good reason."

I glanced over my shoulder. One of Angelina's eyebrows was quirked. "Ron?" she asked. I forced a smile.

"How was your holiday?" I interrupted, not wanting to talk about Hermione. Angelina blinked as I poured hot water from the kettle into the mugs.

"Oh. Uh, it was fun," she smiled. "Charlie was pretty happy to see us, Fleur and Bill kept making eyes at each other… you know, the usual. It was pretty boring when George left, though." Suddenly, she shook her head. "Now, Ronnie, let's not change the subject."

I widened my eyes innocently. "What do you mean, change the subject?"

Angelina snorted. "You knew I was going to ask you about Hermione, and you changed the subject. So," she said, accepting the mug I offered her, "what's up between you and Hermione?"

I groaned and put my head in my hands. "I don't know," I whispered. Angelina didn't say anything, and I lifted my head and looked at my dark-skinned former teammate. "Can I trust you not to say anything?"

Angelina nodded. "I won't say anything to anyone, I promise," she said. I bit my lip, and then nodded. I needed a girl's opinion, and George trsuted her. If he trusted her, than I could too.

"We've kissed," I said bluntly. "Twice." Angelina's eyes widened.

"What?" she breathed. "Who orchestrated it?"

"George the first time," I said, briefing her on the freezing kitchen. "But I made the first move. And then the second time it was Hermione."

Angelina smiled. "So… you like her?"

I huffed in irritation. "I don't know!" I cried. "I mean… I mean, I guess I do. But I don't know how to tell… I can't remember how I felt when I knew that I liked her back in, like, fourth year."

Angelina gave me a knowing look. "Right, Ron. Try this… do you want to be with her all the time?"

"Yeah," I answered without hesitation.

"Do you want to protect her from everything?"

"Yes."

"Do you think everything she does is at least a little bit cute, even if it's her most annoying habit?"

I paused. "I'm not totally sure what that means," I said slowly, "but I think so."

Angelina leaned back. "Then you like her. But I don't think you needed me to tell you that."

I grabbed a spoon and started turning it over and under my fingers, relaxing into the familiar motion and letting it calm me. "No. I didn't."

"Then why are you still in denial?" asked Angelina, looking a little irritated. I sighed.

"Because, I'm not good enough for Hermione," I answered. "I mean, she's smart, hardworking, cute, and collected, and fearless, and… well, perfect." I laughed bitterly. "And I'm me. I don't think I need to explain how different and totally unsuited we are for each other… you've met me."

Angelina rolled her eyes and muttered something that sounded suspiciously like, "Lord help me." Then, out loud she said, "Ron, that's what makes you perfect for each other. You balance each other out. Besides, you're in Auror training, and making some of the highest grades there, from what George tells me."

I shrugged. "I guess."

Angelina shook her head. "I know. Listen, it comes down to this- do you, or do you not like Hermione?"

I glared at her. "I thought we'd established this," I growled. "I like Hermione! Even though I shouldn't, I like her a hell of a lot! I may even love her!"

Angelina grinned. "That's all I needed to hear," she said. "As long as you know it too, we're good."

We slumped back in our respective chairs, until I realized that Hermione had never come down from the shower. She didn't like to waste water, so typically she would take a short shower and would already have come downstairs.

"I'm going to go see what's taking Hermione so long," I said. Opting to ignore Angelina's smirk, I went to the kitchen door, which had been closed, and opened it.

There, poised to open the door herself, was Hermione. I blanched. "Were you listening to us?" I demanded before she could open her mouth. She blinked.

"N-No," she answered. "I wasn't." She paused. "Wait, who's 'us'? Were you talking to yourself?"

I shook my head and stepped back to let her past. She gasped. "Oh, Angelina!"

"Hi, Hermione," Angelina answered, standing to hug her. "How are you?"

"Oh, I'm fine," she grinned. "Working, that sort of thing."

Angelina rolled her eyes. "You work far too much, Hermione," she said. "Here, let me take you two to lunch."

"Does the Bet allow that?" I asked. Angelina shrugged.

"George mentioned you'd gone to Diagon Alley already, so I'm assuming no one will care."

I glanced at Hermione, who nodded. "Why not?" she said. I sighed.

"All right, then. Where are we going?"

"How about a Muggle restaurant I know?" Angelina suggested. Hermione nodded.

"That's fine."

Angelina told us the name of the restaurant, and the three of us Apparated out of the Burrow to a back alley behind the restaurant.

Angelina took us inside and we sat down. As we ate, Angelina told us about the dragons and dragon lairs Charlie had shown her, George, Bill, and Fleur, all of the different things she had learned.

Hermione and I explained the bet in more detail, mentioning the prank wars and other things that we deemed by silent agreement that Angelina could know about. She laughed and asked questions, and before we knew it, we had finished lunch and it was two-thirty.

We Apparated back to the house, where Angelina bid us good-bye. Before she left, she grabbed me and pulled me outside for a private word.

"Listen," she whispered. "I know you love Hermione, and you know you do too. Just… be nice to her, okay? Don't hurt her. Or anything."

I shook my head. "I know. I don't think I could if I wanted to."

Angelina nodded as Hermione came to the door. "Ron? Ange? Is everything all right?"

"Everything's fine, Hermione," I called. I hugged Angelina briefly. "Bye, Ange."

"Bye, Ronnie. Behave," she said, before Disapparating. I walked back to the house.

"What did she want?" Hermione asked. I smiled.

"Nothing," I said. "Don't worry about it."

Hermione looked unconvinced, but I patted her shoulder and moved to the freezer, opening it. Behind me, she said, "Really?"

I turned, a tub of chocolate ice cream in my hand. "Really." I sat down at the table. "She's just been hanging out with George for too long. Want some of this?"

Hermione looked at me searchingly one more time before smiling back and grabbing two spoons from the silverware drawer.

We sat in silence, eating nearly the whole carton of ice cream. Hermione put the remains in the freezer and then sat down again, sighing. I looked at her. "What's wrong?"

"Ron… Oh, never mind." Hermione flushed miserably and wrapped her arms around her waist. I blinked.

"No, what's the matter?" Hermione never acted like this. _Something must really be bothering her._

"Nothing, really," Hermione said, smiling. It looked forced, but I let it go. "Have you done your assignment yet?"

I groaned. "No, not yet. I'll do it now."

"All right, I'm going to go read," she said, standing. "I'll see you later, right?"

"Yeah," I answered. She waved and disappeared upstairs. I sighed and went upstairs.

My assignment took me three hours- because we were nearing graduation, the assignments were getting more in depth- I had to write a twelve inch essay for the next day.

By the time I was finished, all I wanted to do was lie down, stuff myself with chocolate, and read the Quidditch book Harry had given me a couple weeks ago. So I did, before dozing off at eight or so.

))((

Angelina was given a hero's welcome when she returned to the tent. "You got a confession!" shouted Ginny after Ron and Hermione had gone to their rooms and the action had effectively stopped. "Excellent! Your acting was brilliant!"

Angelina grinned. "The best part is I didn't even lie- I'm not going to tell you anything, you heard it all yourself." She looked at George. "Were you able to get the camera to the restaurant?" He nodded.

"We had it touch your sleeve, actually," he said.

Harry, sitting at the table, looked at Angelina and interrupted with, "Do you think Hermione heard?"

"Yeah," she answered. Ginny and George looked at each other.

"Really?" said George. Ginny looked thoughtful.

"I think I agree with Ange," she said. "I mean, Hermione did look like she wanted to tell Ron something, and she stuttered when she said no, she hadn't been listening."

"We won't know unless one of them says something tomorrow, in any case," Angelina said. After a moment, she yawned and sat on one of the beds. "I'm beat- I hate Apparating." She fell back and closed her eyes.

Without a word, George pulled his wand from his pocket and turned a spare piece of parchment into a sheet, hanging it between Angelina's bed and the rest of the tent. Then he looked at Harry and Ginny.

"I'm casting sound-proof and impenetrable charms on this thing… you two had better behave, all right?" he said threateningly. Harry gulped and Ginny rolled her eyes.

"Very well, brother, now off you go," she said. George nodded, cast his charms, and then disappeared behind the curtains. Ginny and Harry made faces at each other before curling up on one of the other beds and, after catching up with some much-needed snogging, falling asleep.

**A/N: **Well, that's that! Please review!

I apologize for any errors.

))Riiko Shea((


	14. Week Two, Day Six

**A/N:** OH MY GOSH I AM SO SORRY!!!!!!!! (freaks out) I am so sorry that I haven't updated in forever- thank you to everyone who still stuck with me, reviewed, and told me to get my act together and update. I promise, my excuse was very good.

On that subject, I will be leaving the country (meaning the U.S.) for two weeks in a few days. I will be unable to update, but I will be working on the next chapter while I am overseas.

Thanks so much for nearly three hundred reviews!

Now, onward to the next chapter!

**Impossibly Insufferable**

**Chapter Fourteen**

**Week Two, Day Six**

Harry and Ginny woke up at around the same time on Day Six of the Bet. Ginny glanced at Harry and yawned, "Think they're up?" She gestured at the sheets hung up next to them.

Harry shook his head and answered, "I don't know, and I don't plan on checking."

Ginny winced. "I'm not going to think about what I might see if I did."

Harry laughed and glanced at the clock. "Ugh, it's ten already." He sighed and stood, setting up the camera in the kitchen as Ginny followed him.

A few minutes later, Angelina pushed the curtains to the side and ended the charms George had placed around the bed. Stretching, she sauntered over to the table and slumped into one of the chairs. "Morning," she yawned. Harry smiled suggestively.

"Long night, Ange?" he asked. Angelina glared.

"Shut up, Potter," she groaned. Ginny laughed as George dragged himself into the room.

"The love birds up yet?" he asked, yawned widely. Ginny shook her head.

"Not yet." She glanced around. "What are we doing to them today?"

Harry bit his lip. "Well, I was thinking we just leave them alone to let them deal with the aftermath of Hermione hearing Ron's confession."

Angelina shrugged. "I'm fine with it, I guess. Even though we don't have any proof that she actually heard."

George sighed and put his head in his hands. "It pains me to do nothing… I may have to meddle."

Harry blinked. George meddling in an already delicate situation would not be a good thing at all.

But before he could say anything, Ginny interrupted with a, "Look, they're up!"

))((

**Hermione**

I woke up late.

Well, I sort of woke up late. I'd been up on and off all night, thinking of Ron.

More specifically I had been thinking of yesterday, when Ron had asked me, "Were you listening to us?"

Oh, yes. I had been listening. And I now I had absolutely no idea what to do.

Sighing, I flipped onto my back and moaned, covering my face with my hands. "What do I do?" I whispered to myself.

"What do you do what?"

I squeaked as Ron pushed open my door fully and leaned against the door frame. I sat up and regarded him suspiciously. "Were you listening at my door, Ronald?"

Ron grinned. "Now Hermione," he said innocently, "why would you accuse me of a thing like that? I was just walking by your room and heard you talking to yourself."

I rolled my eyes and swung my legs around, hauling myself to my feet. "I was just wondering if I should get up and eat breakfast or not," I lied, pulling a sweatshirt on over my tee-shirt. Ron shrugged.

"I'll make you something, if you'd like," he said, heading out of my room. I followed him down to the kitchen, sitting down at the as he bustled around making muffins.

I regarded the back of Ron's head. His hair was that bright red-orange that he and his siblings shared in varying degrees, and it was sticking up in the back like Harry's. He was wearing this year's most recent Weasley sweater, which was, much to his disappointment, maroon again.

It made me remember one time a few years ago, when we had been going out. Ron had complained about his sweater making him look ridiculous, and I had said, "Oh Ron, don't be silly. I love those sweaters."

Ron had looked at me searchingly. "I can have my mother make you one, if you'd like," he had said. I had laughed and shaken my head, saying I wasn't a Weasley and didn't need a Weasley sweater.

Now, I noticed a tiny hole in over Ron's left shoulder blade as he poured the batter into the muffin tin and stuck it in the oven. He came and sat next to me, yawning.

"So, how are you this morning, Ms. Granger?" Ron asked. I smiled.

"Fine, thank you, Mr. Weasley," I answered, standing and pulling two glasses out from the cabinet. "How was your assignment from last night?"

"Long," Ron groaned. "Longest yet, actually."

"You finished it, right?" I asked, pouring milk. Ron made an affronted noise.

"Of course I finished! I want to be an Auror, you know. Not finishing my assignments is hardly the way to get there!"

I laughed and sat down again, passing him his glass. "I know, I know. But not doing your homework was hardly the way to graduate from Hogwarts, and I didn't see you doing that too often."

Ron snorted. "Psh, homework." He waved a hand dismissively. "One of life's more useless inventions."

I rolled my eyes. "Homework isn't useless."

"Of course it's not," Ron said in a placating manner. The oven beeped and Ron stood, pulling on oven mitts. "I am fully aware that homework isn't useless. It's pointless, that's all."

I shook my head as Ron set the muffin tin on a cooling rack. "You're incorrigible, did you know that?" I sighed. Ron smiled.

"Yes, I did," he answered, sitting back down. "You've told me before, in fact."

I shook my head and asked, "Are the muffins cool yet?"

Ron nodded. "Probably," he answered, standing. Ron popped the muffins out of the tin and put one on a plate for each of us.

"Thanks," I said, taking a bite. We ate in silence.

After a bit, Ron said conversationally, "So, the bet ends tomorrow."

I nodded. "They'll be coming back to the house soon… I wonder if they'll come tomorrow or the next morning?"

Ron shrugged. "I don't know. All I know is that they'd better be ready to take Trelawney out to dinner."

I laughed. "They'll have a good time with that."

"I almost feel bad for her," Ron said, wiping his mouth. "I mean, dinner with Ginny and Harry?"

"Oh, and George, of course," I added. Ron grinned.

"Poor Trelawney. That's more punishment for her than for them," he remarked, standing and getting another muffin. "Want another one?"

"Sure."

As we ate our next muffins, we fell into a companionable silence, but to me, the silence was filled with unsaid things.

All I could think of was Ron, and my thoughts were very confusing. How could they change from _I was too good for him _and_ he was too stupid for me_, to _I don't deserve someone like Ron _and _he could never love me back? _We hadn't worked out, and, in the past, I had accepted that without question.

But what about now?

"-mione? Hermione?"

I jumped. "Oh, sorry!" I gasped. "I was sort of lost in my thoughts."

Ron grinned. "I could tell. I was asking if you wanted to do something."

I shrugged. "I don't know… actually, yes I do." I smiled. "We haven't played Wizard's Chess in a long time."

Ron smirked at me and said, "You mean you haven't lost to me at Wizard's Chess in a while."

"Hey, my skill's improved!" I protested. Ron regarded me with amusement.

"Enough to beat me?"

I frowned and muttered, "Maybe…"

Ron laughed and stood, picking up our plates and glasses and putting them in the sink to wash for later. "Fine then, we can play if you want."

I smiled and followed him to the sitting room. I purposefully sat with my back to the picture of Ron and I that still hung on the wall. Ron raised an eyebrow, but said nothing, sitting opposite me across the coffee table and pulling out from underneath it a worn chess board and a box of dozing figures.

The two of us set up our pieces, and the game began. Ron quickly gained the lead, but I decided that I would not lose to him this time. Stubbornly, I remained always a half-step ahead of him, just enough to prevent myself from being in checkmate.

I watched as Ron became increasingly frustrated and impressed. His stack of my beaten pieces was far larger than my pile of his pieces, but my king moved around the board, avoiding his strategically moved pieces by skill and, more often, by luck.

It was a metaphor for our relationship, I supposed, as Ron swore and lost his pawn to my one remaining bishop. The dancing around each other, avoiding each other, bashing each other.

"Hah!" Ron shouted. Startled, I looked up. He beamed. "Check!"

I glared at the board. Nowhere else to go. Sighing, I jerked my chin at my king, who, glaring at me in return, took off his crown and tossed it towards Ron's side of the board.

Ron smiled as I crossed my arms and huffed in irritation. "Sorry, Hermione," he said, sliding the pieces back into their box and folding the board up. I sighed.

"It's fine. It's not your fault that I can't play chess to save my life," I said, finally smiling. "Have I _ever_ beaten you at chess?"

Ron grinned. "Yeah… maybe… a couple years ago… in first year… nope, never mind."

I mock frowned, hitting his shoulder. "Thanks for making me feel better," I said. Ron looked contrite.

"Sorry," he said, standing. "Let me make it up to you by making you lunch."

"Lunch?" I blinked and looked at the clock. Nearly one. "Oh, wow. That was a long chess game."

Ron nodded. "Yeah. In the old days, I could beat you in fifteen minutes, so you must have improved."

I shrugged, standing as well. "Harry gave me that Wizard's Chess set a couple years ago, and my dad fell in love. So we've been playing all the time."

Ron led the way into the kitchen and started pulling out lunch materials. "You ever beat him?"

"A lot," I answered. "He's not very good."

"Lucky for you," Ron said, putting butter in a pan on the stove and putting two slices of bread down. "Is grilled cheese okay?"

"Definitely fine." I sat down at the table.

There was silence, until Ron pulled something out of his pocket and tossed it on the table. I pulled the parchment towards me as Ron said, "It's my new assignment for today."

I nodded and looked over the directions. "Questions on potions that run on time cycles." I glanced up. "Hard?"

"Easy," he answered, sliding the two finished grilled cheeses onto the plate. "Most of the potions mature or lose power according to the waning and waxing of the moon, so a lot of the answers are applicable for more than one question."

Ron set two plates down on the table, and I handed him back his assignment. "That's good."

"It is," he agreed. We sat and ate in silence, and I had a feeling of déjà vu from that morning. I glanced over at Ron, smiling slightly as our eyes met.

Finally, Ron sighed and finished the last bite of his sandwich, picking up his plate and taking mine as well. "That's that," Ron said, putting them in the sink and starting to wash them. Suddenly, there was a tapping at the window.

Outside was an owl I had never seen before. Attached to his leg was a letter. I opened the window and the bird flew in, dropped the parchment on the kitchen table before settling back on the window sill.

Frowning, I opened the letter and gasped, feeling as if my heart had both sunk out of my feet and lodged itself in my throat. "What?" Ron asked, coming up behind me.

_Hermione,_

_When I saw you a couple days ago in Diagon Alley, I was reminded of the crush I'd had on you back at Hogwarts. Back then, you seemed to like me too, but went with Ron instead._

_I was wondering if you'd consider going out with me next weekend…?_

_Yours,_

_Seamus_

I heard Ron inhale sharply as my grip tightened on the edge of the parchment. I turned to look at him, but Ron had already stepped back and turned his back on me.

"Ron?" I asked hesitantly.

"You should reply to Seamus and figure out where he wants to meet you," Ron answered flatly.

"Why would I do that?" I snapped. Ron turned.

"You're going to say yes, right? Typically, when you go on a date, you need to know where you're going."

I stared at him, mouth open. Finally, furious at his assumption, I hissed, "Do you really think I would say yes to Seamus? I plan on telling him no."

"Why?" Ron ground out. "I mean, you're clearly his friend. Why wouldn't you go out with him?"

"Because… because…" I hesitated. I didn't want to tell him, but as I struggled with myself, Ron turned away, and I saw, to my horror, that his blue eyes looked extremely close to overflowing. And that decided me.

"I'm going to say no to him because I like you!"

Ron froze, and I waited. Then I heard him say, "No you don't, Hermione. You've said it would never work. You've said you'd never like me again, and that you've moved on. Don't feel bad for me."

"What do you mean?" I asked, totally lost. Ron turned and looked at me, his face red and his eyes, luckily, dry.

"I know you heard me with Angelina yesterday. You know… that I like you. But there's no need for you to give up your happiness to make your pathetic best mate feel better, okay?" Ron shrugged. "Beside, you've said it yourself- that sort of thing has never really worked for us."

"That's such a lie, Ron!" I shouted. "What about now? What about _today?_ We've spent nearly two weeks alone with only each other for company… we've even kissed, and we've been fine!"

Ron just turned away and began drying off the plates. I stared at him in horror. I had just confessed that I liked him, I knew he liked me, but he thought I was just pitying him.

And I lost my temper.

"You… You make me so mad!" I shouted. Ron whirled around, eyes wide. "You aren't thinking! You aren't listening to me! You're just... infuriating! And that's why…" I paused, panting, as Ron stared at me in shock. "That, Ronald Weasley, is exactly why I love you!"

Ron's mouth dropped, and I glared at him, my eyes filling with tears. "Don't believe me if that's what you want, Ronald, but I do. And I know you love me too. What are you going to do about it?"

And then I ran up to my room.

I didn't see Ron for the rest of the day, and fell asleep with tears in my eyes.

))((

Harry shook his headas Hermione slammed her bedroom door. "That letter… damn, George."

George smiled as Bludger preened himself, having escaped from the Burrow unnoticed by Ron or Hermione. "Don't worry… you'll see. It'll all work out."

"Hopefully in our advantage," sighed Angelina, watching on the camera as Ron locked himself in his room. She hit the off button.

Ginny looked nervous. "I hope that didn't just cause more problems between them." She glanced at her brother, who still had the quill he'd used to forge the letter tucked behind his ear. Idly, she wondered if she should be worried that he could assume a different handwriting at will.

George rolled his eyes. "I promise, Gin, they'll work it out."

The group didn't do much for the rest of the day, except speculate about what the last day would bring, and (if you were Angelina, Ginny, or Harry) worry.

**A/N:** Sorry for any mistakes!

Some of the lines were blatantly borrowed from a Daughtrey song called "What About Now". I don't own it.

Also, I apologize for any errors I made in the description of the chess game- I haven't played chess in a looong time.

Review!

))Riiko Shea((


	15. Week Two, Day Seven

**A/N: **I'm baaaaaack! I got back from my trip on Friday and frantically began writing and revising this chapter for you lovely reviewers. (THANK YOU FOR OVER 300 REVIEWS!!)

After this chapter, there will probably be two more short chapters (an Evaluation of the winners, and then the Dinner Date with Trelawney for the losers), followed by a preview for the next fic and possible and list of everyone who's reviewed as a thank-you. I may combine the Evaluation and Dinner Date if they prove to be too short on their own, but I don't think that will be the case.

Anyways, thank you so much for your continued support- I had a lot of problems with this chapter, and I hope it's all right...

EDIT: So, I got a lot of complaints that (SPOILER) Ron going to Romania was breaking the terms of the Bet, so I've edited that part of the chapter. Thanks for your concern, guys.

EDIT TWO: A drastic typo I didn't notice. Oops.

**Impossibly Insufferable**

**Chapter Fifteen**

**Week Two, Day Seven**

Harry woke up slumped on the sofa, with Ginny's head on his lap, George's elbow poking his side uncomfortably, and Angelina's feet between his back and sofa. Groaning, he rubbed his eyes and looked around the tent, at the wireless, which was still on, and then at the clock.

"Oh my gosh- Gin, wake up!" Harry whispered excitedly, shaking her shoulder. Ginny groaned and opened her eyes.

"This had better be good, Potter," she grumbled. Harry grinned.

"I promise it is. What's today?"

Ginny paused and then gasped. "Oh my God, it's the last day of the Bet, isn't it?" She sat up as if she'd been pricked with a pin and shook George violently as Harry stretched before tapping Angelina. In a few moments, the other two had woken up and realized that it was, in fact, eight in the morning and that the Bet would be ending in a few short hours.

Sitting around the table with the camera on, Angelina bit her lip. "Do you think they're okay?" she whispered to Harry, sitting next to her. Harry sighed and twirled his wand before sticking it in his pajama pants' pocket.

"I don't know, to be honest," he whispered back. "I hope so."

"They're up," Ginny interrupted quietly, and everyone (even George) looked worriedly at the screen.

))((

**Ron**

As the clock next to my bed ticked past midnight and into the fourteenth and last day of the Bet, I decided that yesterday had been the worst day of my life.

As the hands moved past one, I realized that maybe, just maybe, Hermione didn't pity me.

_That's too good to be true,_ I thought. But then I remembered her kissing me, and the way she no longer fought with me every time she saw me, and the way she helped me with my assignments… And thought that maybe, maybe it wasn't too good to be true.

I feel asleep not long after that, waking up at seven thirty-ish. I got up with a groan, feeling completely unrested and wanting nothing more than to go back to sleep. But there were some things I had to take care of first.

I stumbled downstairs in my sweatpants and an old, holey tee-shirt at eight. Once in the kitchen, I made coffee, something I rarely drank because not only did I find it gross and bitter, no matter how much milk and sugar I added, it instantly woke me up and kept me awake for hours.

Taking a sip, I shuddered and made a face before sinking down at the table and putting my head in my hands. I had to right the mess I'd made with Hermione, but I didn't quite know how to do that. I mean, I knew what to do. Asking her out would work, but it had to be good. No casual, "Go out with me?" would suffice. All it would get me was a canary attack.

But then, there was the added issue of the Bet. I didn't want to lose and make the past two weeks useless. I knew it was selfish, but I couldn't help it. So if I didn't want to lose the Bet, how could I rectify things with Hermione?

"I need help," I whispered, putting my head in my hands. "I'm totally out of my league here."

I supposed I could make her dinner, or breakfast in bed right now. _Too plain. I used to do that all the time._

Finally, I gave up and stood, abandoning my mug and grabbing my trainers from beside the door. Quickly, I tied them, and then grabbed a handful of Floo powder. Stepping up to the fireplace, I shouted, "Charlie's in Romania!" and stuck my head in the flames, finding myself looking up at my brother.

Charlie glanced up from his kitchen table, a glass of juice in his hands and a newspaper laid out in front of him. "Oh, hey, Ron," he said. "What's the reason for the call? It's pretty late over here-you're lucky I'm awake."

I smiled. "I'm fine... I just have a problem." I fell silent, thinking about how to phrase my issue.

After a moment, Charlie raised an eyebrow at me. I growled. "Sorry, Charlie, but this is harder than you might think!"

"I guessed it was a delicate issue… you don't usually Floo me." He took a drink and folded his newspaper as I thought.

Finaly, I sighed and then began to explain. "Right, so Ginny and Harry made a bet with me and Hermione so we had to stay in the Burrow for two weeks together, and if we did it without one of us walking out or getting back together, we won."

Charlie burst out laughing, and I glared. "Sorry, sorry, go on," he chortled.

I continued. "So things started bad, but we became friends, and then through this convoluted scheme, we had to kiss, and then Hermione heard me tell Angelina I loved her, and then Seamus asked her-"

"Wait, you love Angelina?" Charlie interrupted. I gave him my best Hermione 'wow-you're-more-of-an-idiot-than-I-thought' look. "You said that Hermione heard you tell Ange you loved her."

I slapped my forehead. "I _meant_ that Hermione heard me tell Ange that I loved _Hermione."_

Charlie grinned. "I know. Carry on."

Talking as fast as I could to just finish the darn thing, I babbled, "And then Seamus asked Hermione out, and she said she was going to say no because she loved me, and I said she was just pitying me, and she said that she wasn't, and I don't know what to do because I don't want to lose the Bet, but I don't want to lose Hermione either." I finished, panting.

Charlie regarded me, tapping a finger against his chin. "Well, Ron, I'd have to say you're in a spot."

I groaned. "I know," I whispered. "I messed up pretty badly."

My brother watched me, and then leaned forward towards the fireplace. "Listen, Ron. This isn't going to be what you want to hear, but I can't help you with this. Hermione is the girl _you _love; it's got to be you who fixes things."

"I know," I murmured again. "I know what I have to do, too."

Charlie shrugged. "You may have to lose the Bet, Ronnie. Is she worth that?"

I didn't even have to think. "I'm just being stubborn. I would die for Hermione. I'll give up the Bet for her." It was a relief to say it out loud.

He smiled, nodding. "I'm glad you've realized that, Ron. Listen, though. You're smarter than you give yourself credit for. I'm sure that there's some way you'll be able to win the Bet and still get the girl."

I looked at Charlie and smiled. "I'll try and think of something," I said, and he nodded as I pulled my head out of the fireplace.

"Good luck with your girl."

"Thanks," I answered, and then I was gone.

I sat up just in time to see Hermione disappearing up the stairs- she must have just entered the kitchen to see me sitting there. I sighed, standing.

"At least she hasn't left," I muttered. If Hermione was still here, though, it meant that she may not be happy with me asking her out before the Bet was over. She seemed to be just as dedicated as I was to winning.

Sighing, I tried to decide what to do. I bit my lip and searched my memories, searching for the inspiration I needed to figure out how to ask Hermione out without asking her out.

_Awkwardly trying to ask Hermione to the Yule Ball._

_Hermione at the Yule Ball, the prettiest thing I'd ever seen._

_Hermione helping me with homework._

_Hermione falling asleep on my shoulder in fifth year._

_Hermione kissing me during the Battle._

_Hermione kissing me on some day after the Battle, one of many glorious and not-so-glorious days._

_Hermione._

_Hermione._

_Hermione._

And I stood.

She wasn't, I knew, going to be happy. In fact, she'd probably be furious that I was going to be messing up the Bet. But I needed Hermione. I couldn't live without her. And so I decided to do possibly the stupidest thing I'd ever done in my life, and marched up the stairs to her room with no plan, just my fall back plan of screwing the bet and asking her out anyways.

BANG BANG BANG.

There was a squeak from Hermione as I opened the door. She had a hand on her heart and her breath was coming fast. My knocking had scared her. As I walked towards her, I was thinking, planning, trying to figure out what, exactly, I should do, what I should say.

"My room." I hadn't planned on saying that. It made sense, though. Where better to find inspiration than the place where I dreamed of Hermione more than anywhere else, except maybe my dorm at Hogwarts.

"W-what?" Hermione whispered. She looked frightened. I figured I must have looked pretty intense, and smiled, grabbing her wrist and pulling her to her feet from where she sat on her bed. "Ron, what are you doing?"

I looked at her. She still looked scared, but now she looked like she was getting angry, too. "Please, Hermione, just come with me," I begged.

She took a deep breath and nodded. I grinned and pulled her out of her room and up the stairs into my own bedroom, where she sat on my bed.

"What's wrong, Ron?" Hermione asked. I sat down next to her, looking at her confused eyes, at her crazy, curly hair, pulled into a ponytail. All the while, my brain was whirring, trying to figure out how I could possibly avoid asking her out, and yet achieve the same results.

"Nothing's wrong," I answered. "I Floo-called Charlie."

Hermione blinked. "But that's breaking the terms of the Bet!" she finally said. I rolled my eyes.

"Really, it's not- I haven't gotten a letter from Harry and them or anything, so it must be fine. It's like the letter you got from Seamus- not leaving the house, you know?" I shook my head. "But that's not the point. I called because I needed advice on how to fix things with you."

Hermione stared at me. "And… what did Charlie say?" she finally asked, looking slightly confused.

"Well, he said that I was the one who loved you, I had to fix things." I regarded her.

She shifted impatiently and uncomfortably. "What did you decide to do?" she eventually snapped.

I sighed. All that was left to do was ask her out…

"I decided to apologize, first. I'm a prat, and I should have realized that you wouldn't pity me like that. So, I'm sorry."

Before she could say anything, I continued. "Then, I realized that I had to do something drastic, to make it up to you. I had to show you how I feel. I needed to make sure that you understood."

I got down on the floor in front of Hermione, taking a deep breath and giving up. There was no hope for it. "So, Hermione, will you…"

And then, as I let my eyes run around the room one more time to try and find inspiration, I saw it. Sticking out from under my bureau was my Weasley sweater from approximately two years ago. And it gave me a brilliant idea.

"_Oh Ron, don't be silly. I love those sweaters."_

The idea spun in my head crazily, and I stood, took the two steps to my bureau, grabbed the sweater, and then went back to Hermione, kneeling down.

"Hermione, I wanted to know if you'd wait for me," I said, holding out the sweater. Hermione looked at me, and then smiled.

"Were you going to lose the Bet for me?" she asked. I nodded.

"I was willing to," I whispered. "I'd die for you, Hermione. Of course I'd lose the stupid Bet for you. So will you wait for me?"

A single tear slid down Hermione's face as she took the sweater from my hands and put it on. "Of course, Ron. Of course," she whispered, and then she leaned down slightly and kissed me.

That night, we slept in my room- Hermione on Harry's bed, me on my own, talking softly until Hermione dozed off.

She left on the sweater all night.

))((

The tent was silent. Everyone was staring slack-jawed at the screen, unable to believe it. He'd done it. Ron had nearly asked her out, they could tell. But then, he had come up with his brilliant plan, and won. Ron and Hermione had won the Bet.

Finally, Ginny shut her mouth and shut off the camera, before turning to Harry. Harry looked at her, and grinned. "You were right, Gin. They _do_ like each other."

Ginny laughed, shaking Ange out of her stupor.

"Well, we lost, but at least they're... sort of together," Harry said, glancing at his girlfriend's still-stricken brother. Ange nodded.

"They're cute, I've got to say." She sighed and stretched. "I'm going to go lie down and read- maybe I'll fall asleep, who knows?" She stood and disappeared behind the curtains.

George still hadn't moved, other than to close his mouth. Ginny shook his shoulder. "George?"

"I can't believe Ronnie… ickle Ronniekins… came up with a plan like that," George finally muttered. "It just doesn't make sense."

Harry laughed. "As surprising as it may seem, Ron has good ideas."

George growled something incomprehensible. Ginny looked at Harry and George. "They win, are we all unanimous is that position?"

"Unfortunately, since he never asked her out, and they never truly got together in the "couples" sense, and Ron didn't leave the house to talk to Charlie, yeah," Harry sighed. "They win."

George nodded sharply and stood up, disappearing behind the curtains with a curt, "Good-night." A moment later, the curtains had been spelled. Harry looked nervous.

"He's not going to be like that in the morning, is he?" he asked. Ginny laughed and dragged him towards their bed.

"Nah, Ange will sweeten him up. He's just not used to losing to Ronnie." Ginny sighed as she curled up next to Harry, and the tent fell silent.

**A/N:** Well, that's that. The results of the Bet! Hopefully you all liked it and didn't think it was too horrible…

I'm sorry about the made up time difference between England and Romania, but I'm just too tired to look it up.

Sorry for any other mistakes!

Please review!

))Riiko Shea((


	16. The Evaluation

**A/N: **Oh. My. Gosh. I'M SO SORRY! Please, please do not kill me- I've had massive writer's block. And then, even though I worked for months on the dinner with Trelawney, I _still_ don't like it. So I've decided to put Ron and Hermione's chapter first, and then the dinner. Again, I'm so, so, so sorry about the lack of updates- thank you to everyone who decides to forgive me by reading and reviewing!

Thanks for all the reviews!

Onward.

**Impossibly Insufferable**

**Chapter Sixteen**

**The Evaluation**

The tent was bustling as Ginny and Angelina worked on packing everything away so George could shrink the tent, while Harry searched through everything the girls had neatly packed to try and find the Veritiserum George had attained (from where, he didn't want to know). They were going to use the potion to "find out" if Ron and Hermione had actually asked each other out- the four had agreed not to tell the new couple about the camera.

Finally, Harry found the tiny vial in Ginny's coat pocket. "Got it," he said, holding it up. "Let's go." He, Ginny and Angelina exited the tent, holding suitcases of clothes and other personal effects. George shrank the tent and tucked it into his pocket.

True to Ginny's words, Angelina had sweetened her boyfriend up somehow last night, and George was smiling that morning. He looked around at the other three and asked, "Are we ready to face the lovebirds?"

"I suppose," Ginny sighed. The four Apparated and appeared in the Burrow.

))((

**Hermione**

Ron and I woke up the next morning and quickly took turns in the bathroom to wash up and get dressed. By eight o'clock the two of us were sitting in the kitchen, quiet and waiting for George, Ginny, and Harry to show up. It rather felt like Transfiguration, where everyone sat silently until McGonagall came in so we wouldn't get in trouble for talking.

At eight fifteen, there was a crack, and the three appeared, along with Angelina. Ron and I stared, and she shrugged.

"Hi, you two."

"You were part of this?" Ron asked, incredulous. Angelina smiled.

"Of course, Ron."

"Well, you'll have to take Trelawney to dinner, too," I snapped. Beside me, Ron nodded.

"Wait just a moment," George interrupted. "_Will _she? How do we know that you actually won the Bet? I think some Veritiserum is in order here." He held out a hand to Harry, who placed a small vial in it.

"Where did you get tha- never mind, I don't even want to know." I stepped forward and stuck out my tongue for George. He placed a drop or two on it and I pulled it back in, swallowing as George repeated the gesture for Ron.

"Right, so did you, Ron, ask Hermione out?"

"No," Ron replied, sounding slightly monotone. George turned to me.

"Did you, Hermione, ask Ron out?"

"No," I answered, my mouth moving without my commanding it to. It was a very disorientating sensation.

As I contemplated that, George sighed and motioned to Ginny, who placed a few drops of the antidote on our tongues. I swallowed and shook my head, feeling odd. George looked slightly depressed as Ron and I smirked at each other triumphantly.

"So that's that," I said. "You'd better owl Trelawney and invite her to dinner."

Angelina looked appalled. "Not me too, Hermione! I was only part of this shenanigan for the last few days, I promise!"

Ron glanced at me. "I think I have a better idea for her," he said, and I shrugged, allowing him to do what he wanted.

))((

_Dearest Prof. Trelawney,_

_It's one of your favorite pupils, George Weasley. I was sitting in my kitchen drinking some tea this morning, when I saw in my tea leaves that I must invite you to dinner! _

_So please come to dinner at the Italian restaurant on Dudley Street at six with Harry Potter, Ginny Weasley and me._

_Sincerely,_

_George Weasley_

George sighed dramatically and glanced up at Ron, who was standing over him and smirking. "I hope you're happy," he said. Ron grinned.

"Very happy, actually. Now send it off, there's a good Georgie."

In the kitchen, Hermione was talking with Angelina. "So what did Ron say you had to do?"

"He told me I have to cook dinner for the two of you." Angelina shrugged. "Could be worse, I suppose."

"True. You could be taking Trelawney out to dinner, too." Hermione grinned.

"Exactly," Angelina agreed. "But I almost feel bad for the old bat. I mean, just imagine what George has up his sleeve."

Finally, it was five o'clock, an hour until Harry, George, and Ginny would be meeting Trelawney. Harry and Ginny were already standing by the door- they were going to go to a nearby bar for a quick drink before dinner, to make dealing with Trelawney a little more bearable. "George, come on!" Harry called impatiently.

"One minute!" he called back. Ron and Hermione came to the door, looking amused.

"You know," Ron said conversationally, "I really feel bad for Trelawney."

"I do too," Ginny smirked. "Ah, well, it can't be helped… ready, George?"

"Of course," George answered as he walked towards them, giving what could only be described as an evil grin. Everyone winced. "Where's Ange?"

"She left," Hermione answered. "Said she'd see you at home."

"All righty then." George turned. "Are you two ready?"

"Let's go," Ginny responded, and the three stepped outside and Apparated.

))((

**Ron**

The moments after Harry, Ginny, and George left were reminiscent of when they had left the house two weeks previously- awkward and silent. After a moment, I stood and mumbled,  
"I'm going for a fly. I'll be back in twenty minutes or so, is that okay?"

"Fine," Hermione answered in a voice that was an octave or two higher than normal. "Of course."

I nodded and quickly made my exit, practically running across the yard before slumping up against the broom shed, closing my eyes. You see, today was the day.

Today, I had to _actually_ ask Hermione out. There would be an exchanging of feelings, just as there should have been when I 'asked her out' the first time. Maybe there would be snogging afterwards, but it was going to be bloody awkward anyways.

As much as I wanted to avoid it, though, I figured that I couldn't. So I'd just have to compose myself first. And what better way to do it than on a piece of wood forty feet off the ground?

I unlocked the shed and pulled out my broom, jumped on it and took off. Once in the air, I took a deep breath and began running practice sequences from the good old days of the Gryffindor Quidditch Team- rolls, drops, turns, and various other maneuvers that Harry and everyone else on the team had drilled firmly into my head.

A half hour later, I glanced down to see Hermione standing below me, looking up and shading her eyes from the glare of the setting sun. I sighed and slowly circled down, landing in front of her and sliding off the broom. There was a pause. "Hey."

"Hey," she smiled. We stood that way for a moment, just smiling small smiles at each other, before I lay down on the grass. Hermione looked down at me. "What are you doing?"

"Relaxing," I answered. "You ought to try it sometime. It'd be good for you."

Hermione snorted and sat down next to me, gently leaning against the side of my chest. I sighed in contentment and wrapped an arm around her waist. Silence reigned, but it wasn't awkward (thank Merlin).

Suddenly, Hermione spoke. "So, we won."

"Yeah," I answered. "Yeah, we did."

"That was a pretty clever plot you had going on there." She turned and glanced at me. "How long had you been planning that?

"To be honest," I admitted sheepishly, "I just sort of made it up as I went along." Hermione laughed.

"Why am I not surprised?" she sighed.

I sat up and pulled Hermione into my chest. She leaned back against me. "Well, you see, Hermione, that's the sort of thing you make me do. Like, crazy things." Uh-oh. As soon as I said like, I knew it was all over. My nerves had kicked in. _Keep it together, Ron- you're only putting all your feelings for this girl out on a plate for her._

_It's just Hermione. Just Hermione._

_I'm doomed._

Ignoring the voice in my head, I soldiered on. "You… like, remember that one time, in January like two years ago? When I jumped in that pond with George with no clothes on? That's the sort of thing you make me want to do."

"Didn't you nearly lose your ear in that escapade?" Hermione inquired. "This seems akin to Richard of Gloucester accusing Anne's beauty of being the reason why he killed her husband."

"Who's Richard of- there! That's what I'm talking about!" I turned Hermione so she was facing me. "That's it. I know that you got that name from a book that's probably long and confusing and I would hate it. But now that you mentioned it, I want to read it, because I know it would make you happy if I cracked open one of your boring books of classical literature."

Hermione raised an eyebrow. "Boring?"

I groaned and hung my head. "God, I'm making a mess of this, aren't I?" I sighed. "Look, Hermione, I love you. More than anything. I love you enough to read, to… to go in a pond in January…" I took a deep breath. "I love you enough to fight in a war. Will you go out with me?"

Hermione reached out and touched her hand to my cheek, gently lifting my face. "Of course, Ron. Of course. I love you too. I love you more than… more than books. I love you enough to learn Quidditch, or… or to go to battle for you." Her lip quivered on the last sentence, and I leaned forward and stopped the trembling the best way I knew how.

When we surfaced a few minutes later, the first thing I heard was Hermione saying, "Well?"

I blinked. The problem with kissing Hermione is that it tended to leave me somewhat hazy and shut down all of my thought processes and bodily functions. Therefore, my answer was an eloquent, "Huh?"

"Well, what do you think they're doing?" Hermione elaborated, and I could hear the smile in her voice. "George and them, I mean."

I grunted as my brain turned on. "To be honest, Hermione, I don't care. All I care about it kissing you again as soon as possible." Hermione laughed and leaned forward.

An hour later, when the sun had set enough for it to be uncomfortably chilly, the two of us stood and went inside. In the kitchen there was a dish of Ange's special lasagna that I had requested she make, complete with a warming charm. The two of us got forks and plates and sat down to eat.

As soon as we were finished, and the dishes were washed, Hermione looked at me and said, "So, what now?"

"Do you even have to ask?" I answered, and I kissed her before pulling her upstairs to my room.

**A/N: **Don't worry, they won't do anything naughty.

The lines where Hermione talks about Richard of Gloucester and Anne are referring to the Shakespearian play "Richard III". She's talking about the scene where Richard, who killed Anne's husband in order to take the throne- and to marry Anne- talks to Anne over her husband's dead body. In that scene, Richard claims that he was driven to kill Anne's husband because of Anne's beauty.

All right, explanations over- please review!

Sorry for any errors or for if this chapter is complete trash.

))Riiko Shea((


	17. Dinner with Trelawney

**A/N: **Wow! I can't believe I actually finished this chapter!

Although it may be terrible. Sorry if that happens. :(

Anyways, thanks so much for everyone's reviews- one more time, please?

AND PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE READ ALL THE WAY TO THE BOTTOM!!! THE A/N THERE IS IMPORTANT!

Okay- onward!

**Impossibly Insufferable**

**Chapter Seventeen**

**Dinner with Trelawney**

**George**

I followed Harry and Ginny out of the bar to the restaurant a few minutes before Trelawney was due to arrive. Across from us was the Italian restaurant where we'd be eating. I'd picked it for a few reasons. It was mostly inhabited by wizarding folk, it was dimly lit and often loud, and most importantly, Katie Bell was the manager working the floor tonight.

We stopped in front of the restaurant next to the door. A couple stepped outside, allowing the smell of food and the sound of many conversations to spill out onto the street. As they passed us, I turned to Harry and Ginny. They were both leaning against the wall of the restaurant, looking at me warily. "What?"

"Are you going to tell us what you have planned?" Ginny asked blandly. "Because I know you have something planned."

I pressed a hand to my heart. "You wound me, Ginny! What evidence have you gathered to prove that I have something planned for tonight? Other than providing my former professor with a lovely dinner, of course."

Harry snorted- rather rudely, I thought. "Please, George. We're not stupid."

I grinned. "True. Well, I'm not going to tell you- I want you to act surprised too, to help the act."

Ginny and Harry looked in askance at each other, but just then there was a pop and jingle from a nearby Public Apparition Point. Ginny, glancing over my shoulder, sighed. "It's her."

We turned and faced Trelawney as she swayed across the street towards us. I stepped forward as she reached us and took her bangled hand.

"My dear Professor," I said, bending and kissing said hand. "I'm so glad you could join us."

Trelawney smiled and blinked owlishly. "I wouldn't miss it," she quavered.

I dimly heard Harry snort behind me, but ignored him, gesturing to Ginny. "You remember my sister Ginny?"

"Ah, Ginevra Weasley, a pleasure," Trelawney said, taking Ginny's hand.

"And Harry, of course," I said, pushing him forward. Instantly, Trelawney jumped forward and seized Harry's hand as though she was drowning.

"Harry Potter, Harry Potter, I was amazed to see you had survived this long- perhaps something dreadful will befall you soon, hmm?" She wrung his hand as Ginny hid her smile behind a hand and I bit back my laugh. After a moment, I decided to spare Harry and take Trelawney's other elbow.

"Come on, Professor, I already made reservations and everything." I led her into the restaurant, Ginny and Harry following behind.

The woman at the front desk looked up when I walked in. "We have a reservation," I said above the noise of the restaurant. "Under George."

"Of course," she said after a moment. "Right this way." The woman collected four menus and led us through the restaurant to a table towards the back. _Katie's a genius,_ I thought to myself as we sat down.

As Ginny, Harry, and Trelawney busied themselves with their menus, I turned and looked around, trying to find the manager. Suddenly I saw her, slipping down a small hallway by the door to the kitchens. I quickly excused myself and hurried after her.

"Katie?"

Katie turned from where she was pushing open a storage closet. I caught a glimpse of a broom, mop, and a few buckets before she leapt forward to hug me, letting the door shut. "George!"

"Hi, love," I grinned. "Are you all ready for tonight?"

"Of course," Katie said, stepping out of my arms and back to the closet. She pushed the door fully open and a peeked inside. "Ready, Gerome?" She paused, and then looked back at me. "Gerome's ready too."

"Good." I stretched. "Thanks for doing this on such short notice." I had owled her only last night.

"Oh, it's no problem," Katie said, smilingly brightly at me. Too brightly. I smiled back, sadly.

"Shame Fred couldn't be here, huh?"

Katie's smile fell slightly, and she nodded. "Yeah."

"He planned part of this, you know. The ideas. Those were his."

))flashback((

"All right, so we have to take Divination into seventh year, and make a list of all the things we want to do to Trelawney!" A fourth year Fred grinned at me, scribbling notes in a small notebook. We called it the Prank Book.

"Are you writing the details in there?" I asked, hanging off of my bed. Fred looked like he was sitting on the ceiling. "Man…If Filch finds that book it'll be the happiest day of his life."

Fred laughed. "I know. But I had this great idea…"

And even though I decided that the Prank Book was to be buried along with my brother, I remembered everything we had planned; and there were only two more things left on the list. Now, I had the opportunity to finish something we meant to finish together- this time, it was going to be in memory of Fred.

))end flashback((

Katie shut the closet, shaking me out of my reviere. She smiled softly, knowing who I was thinking about, and led me back into the main seating area of the restaurant. "So… I'll let you get the drinks and whatnot, before we start everything. Okay?"

"Sure." I kissed Katie's cheek. "I have full confidence in you."

"Good," she smiled. "Now go sit down. Oh, and one more thing- we've warned all of our wait staff about your little plot tonight, and they'll be warning their customers, so no one should be phased by anything Trelawney does."

"Excellent. You thought of everything."

"I try," she said, and quickly stepped towards the front desk, where a queue was forming. I watched her go before making my way back to my table.

Ginny looked up as I sat. "The waitress already came by for drinks," she said. "I got you a soda. Is that okay?"

"Yeah, it's fine." I glanced down at the menu. "Seen anything good to eat?"

"That pasta looks good." Harry reached across the table and pointed out a meal, but Trelawney jumped into the conversation.

"No, no, Mr. Weasley, you cannot order that! I have seen that your order will have a single drop of deadly poison on it, placed there by a chef who has a grudge against another patron here, but mistakes your meal for his!"

Harry, Ginny, and I all stared at Trelawney as she met our eyes with wide, frightened ones. I tried not to laugh.

"All right, Professor. I'll just get the soup, is that all right?"

"Fine dear, fine," Trelawney said, relaxing. "Thank you for listening to reason and allowing me to avert a tragedy-"

"Here are your drinks!" A smiling, short-haired waitress whose nametag read 'Anne' placed a soda in front of Harry, Ginny, and me, and a rather large glass of red wine in front of Trelawney. "Have you decided on a meal?"

"Yes," I answered. I motioned to Ginny, who started. After efficiently jotting down our orders, Anne thanked us and left. That was Katie's cue.

Right on time, Trelawney, who was sitting across from me and Ginny, stared over my shoulder in horror. I raised my eyebrows. "Professor, is something the matter?"

Trelawney lifted a shaking finger. "G-g-g-grim! Behind you!" she hissed. I blinked. Next to Trelawney, Harry's eyes were confused.

"She's right- there's a big dog!" he gasped. Ginny and I turned to see a black tail disappear behind a large woman. Katie was currently talking to her, and when Katie walked away and the woman had paid her bill and stood, the dog was gone.

Ginny frowned. "That was… weird." She looked at Harry. Next to him, Trelawney was shaking.

"I knew something dreadful would happen tonight! My inner sight told me!"

I reached across the table and patted her hand. "Relax, Professor. I'm sure it's just someone's service dog or something. There's no need for that to ruin your night."

Trelawney took a deep breath and nodded. "I'm not sure you're right, Mr. Weasley, but I'll stay." She took a reviving gulp of wine and sighed. "Excellent."

I glanced to my right, at Ginny. She was smirking at Trelawney. Harry quirked an eyebrow in my direction, and I smiled.

For a while, there was pleasant conversation about Trelawney's new cat, Harry's training, and Ginny's time in Romania, working with Charlie. Suddenly, Ginny pointed behind Trelawney.

"There it is again!"

Trelawney and Harry whipped around to see a large black dog give us a doggy grin before disappearing behind a seated couple. The dog was hidden behind the two and a woman who was asking them something, and then laughing at the man's response. The woman turned away to reveal Katie, who walked away to talk to another table. The dog didn't appear from behind the couple, even though we stared for so long that they turned around and gave us confused looks, as if saying, "Can we help you with something?"

Eventually, we all turned back to the table. "That was just odd," Harry murmured, pushing his glasses up the bridge of his nose. I nodded and Trelawney motioned to our waitress.

"More wine, please," she asked breathlessly, twisting the stem of the glass between her fingers. Anne nodded and returned a minute later with another glass of wine, from which Trelawney took several healthy swings.

There was silence at the table as Harry rubbed his scar idly, (an old habit he was unable to break) Ginny rolled and unrolled her white straw paper, and I took a sip of my Muggle soda. After a moment, I turned to Ginny and asked, "What was the name of the dragon that burned down Charlie's tent while he was in the bath?"

"Oh, Charlie named her Ginevra," Ginny said lightly. Harry stared and then laughed. I did the same, and Trelawney turned slightly bloodshot eyes to Ginny. She was definitely unable to hold her liquor. Ginny started her story about the dragon Charlie had so aptly named after her.

Five minutes later, Anne came over to the table with a tray and placed each of our meals in front of us. Quickly, we began eating. The food was delicious.

Suddenly, though, Trelawney brandished her fork in such a way that had Harry ducking away from her to avoid getting his face poked. "There! The demon returns!"

Turning, I caught sight of the dog winding around the front desk before wagging its tail and disappearing behind the partition that separated the waiting area from the main eating area. Trelawney was really shaking now, and quickly fortified herself with a few quick gulps of wine. I shook my head.

"Don't worry, Professor, I-"

"I'm fine, Mr. Weasley," Trelawney quavered. "I am quite able to handle my own Grims, thank you."

There was silence for a moment as one by one we continued eating. Finally, I finished my soup and sat back. Harry was yawning and looking at his empty plate, which had once held some kind of fish. Ginny sighed and finished off the last of her salad, as Trelawney, the first to finish, clutched her third wine glass.

"Are you all set?" Our waitress appeared. I looked at Harry and Ginny, who nodded, and then at Trelawney, who nodded as well, but in a sleepy kind of way.

"Yes," I answered. "The bill, please."

"Absolutely," Anne said, and picked up our plates. She began to walk away when Trelawney screamed. I jerked in my seat and heard Harry's knee hit the underside of the table.

"It's back!"

I turned to the right and saw that the black dog was trotting down the aisle between two rows of tables, carefree and tongue lolling. It was headed straight for our table.

Then, Trelawney did something completely unexpected. She stood, got up onto her chair, and then stepped from there onto the table.

Once there, she thrust out her arms at the dog, scarves flying and eyes bugging out of her head, and cried, "Back, wretched beast! Back to the stinking swamp that birthed thee! Take thy curse and thy fetid breath away from here and taunt me no more!"

The dog paused, then continued on, clearly not bothered in the least by Trelawney's antics. She stumbled slightly- whether from the shock of the Grim continuing on, despite her words, or the just the alcohol in her system, I couldn't tell. I was too busy hiding laugher, anyways.

She thrust out her arms again, and this time opted for a more direct approach. "GET OUT OF HERE, STUPID MUTT!" she shrieked.

There was silence as the whole restaurant stared at Trelawney and the dog. It stepped forward again, and Trelawney screamed, jumped down from the table, thanked me for the meal, and fled. It took here all of three seconds. There was silence.

Slowly, waitresses began to resume their duties, and patrons returned to their meals. Harry, Ginny, and I stared at each other, and then began to laugh.

"That was fantastic!" Ginny gasped. "I thought her eyes were going to pop out of her head when the dog didn't stop!"

"And when she shouted that last time…" Harry dissolved into laughter again. I grinned and thanked Katie as she came over.

"It was all her," I explained to Harry and Ginny. "Gerome is Katie's dog- she would bring him on the rounds with her, under a Disillusionment charm. They're not Invisibility Cloaks, they don't last forever- so when the charm wore off, she made sure he was in our view. Then, Gerome would come to her when she snapped her fingers, and she would have one of her staff put the charm back on. That way, Trelawney wouldn't notice. She'd be focused on Katie or her table. And that last time, I was snapping my fingers under the table."

Ginny's eyes widened. "So that's why he didn't stop walking. You've got him well trained," she remarked to Katie.

"Wow. That's brilliant," Harry said admiringly. Suddenly, he yawned again.

I looked at Katie. "Bill, please, love. Anne never got around to bringing it."

"Oh, sorry, here I am," Anne said, putting the bill on the table. "That's some friend you've got there. I've got pictures- I can owl them, if you'd like."

I grinned, nodded, and paid, then followed Ginny and Harry out the door to the Public Apparition Point.

We Apparated back to a silent house. Quietly, we stepped inside. Harry clapped my shoulder and went upstairs, and Ginny kissed me on the cheek before following him. "Behave!" I whispered after her. She laughed softly.

I looked around the kitchen and remembered that the camera case was still hidden under the sink. I grabbed it and went up to the attic.

I set the case down in a corner of the attic amongst boxes of old clothes, photos and toys. Suddenly, I heard footsteps behind me. I turned to find Angelina.

"Hi," I murmured. "I didn't know you were still here."

"I am," she grinned. "I couldn't leave without finding out how it went."

"It went great," I smiled. "One of Katie's waitresses took photos."

Angelina laughed and looked down. "You're leaving it here?"

"For the next time, yeah," I answered. "And there will be a next time."

"I agree," Angelina said, before linking arms with me.

We went beck downstairs and into Percy's old room, which was now my room. Together, we curled up on the bed, and Angelina drifted off.

I didn't. I looked up at the crack in the ceiling that Fred and I had made when we set off a firecracker in Percy's room, and thought, _Well, Fred, we finished the list. She saw a Grim, and got totally drunk. Mischief managed, eh?_

And I knew Fred was laughing, somewhere. So I smiled, closed my eyes, and fell asleep.

The Bet was finally, truly, over.

**A/N: **The End! I finally finished this story… something which I will get more into in the next chapter (a preview of the sequel and thanks).

Okay, so here's the thing- it seems like some people may be getting sick of Ron and Hermione. And I may possibly be getting the tiniest bit sick of writing them. SO. While I have no problem continuing in the order I was going to go (another R/Hr story, then onto the Next Generation) I also have no problem skipping to a new couple. So here's the deal.

On my profile, there's a new poll asking you to vote for the couple you want me to write about next. Please, even if you don't review, at least vote! I want as many votes as possible to help me decide who the next story is going to be about. The poll will be closed in TWO WEEKS.

So please please please help me out!

And review!

Thanks!

))Riiko Shea((


	18. Final Chapter: A Preview and Many Thanks

**Impossibly Insufferable**

**The Preview and Many Thanks**

**READ ME!**

**A/N: **All right, everyone… the poll is closed, the results are in, and this is the FINAL CHAPTER I will ever publish to this story. And the results are:

In third place- Harry/Ginny: 8 AND Teddy/Victoire: 8

In second place- Scorpius/Rose: 14

That means… Ron/Hermione wins! (with 19 votes)

I'd like to thank everyone who voted… thanks to you, we have leading couple for our next sequel!

Therefore, I will now present the preview to the sequel I promised you all- it may be a while before the actual sequel goes up, seeing as I want to fool around with it a bit and see where it's going to go before I put it up, but hopefully this will be enough to tide you over until then. (And if it seems a little vague, I promise it'll be fleshed out more in the actual story).

ALSO. The final author's note will have some specific thanks and then a list of everyone who's reviewed- please take a look, because I really, really, really appreciate everyone who reviewed this story, and I'd love to make sure everyone who reviewed before this was published was thanked.

Onward!

**Preview to…**

**Possibly Sufferable **

**(Anyone who has another title idea, you can PM me!)**

Harry and Ron were sitting in Harry's flat going over some paperwork when the Floo whooshed, announcing a call. Harry bent and peered into the green flames before grinning.

"Neville! What's up?"

Neville grinned back. "Hey, mates… I have some news that I want you two to hear- think you can meet with me at the Three Broomsticks? My treat."

Ron pushed back his chair. "If you're buying, then _I'm_ going to be there for sure," he announced, standing. Neville laughed.

"Excellent… meet you there in five," he said, and his head disappeared. Harry looked up at Ron.

"Nice of you to wait for my response," he remarked drily before standing as well. Ron shrugged.

"Would you have said no?" he asked. Harry made a face and Ron nodded knowingly before spinning and Disapparating. Harry rolled his eyes and did the same, staggering slightly when he reappeared in the Public Apparition Point outside the Three Brooksticks.

Ron was already inside, and was greeting Neville with a manly hug and slap to the back. Harry entered the building and did the same, sitting down as Neville ordered a round of drinks. He leaned back, beaming brightly as soon as Rosemerta left. Harry quirked an eyebrow.

"All right, Neville, what's going on? You look like you've had a bit too much Cheering potion… either that or you've gotten laid." Harry grinned as Neville blushed before he leaned forward confidentially and beckoned Harry and Ron closer.

"Okay, so… I asked Hannah to marry me!" he finally said, and the other two looked at him in shock before cheering.

"Bloody hell, Neville, that's great!" Ron bellowed, clapping his shoulder enthusiastically before freezing. "Wait… she said yes, right?"

Harry laughed and shook Neville's hand. "Congrats, Neville- I'm proud of you," he said. Neville grinned.

"You're asking Ginny soon, right, Harry?" Neville asked. "She said you'd been acting kind of shifty."

Harry scowled. "I could never hide anything from her," he muttered. "But yeah, I'm planning on asking this week… probably on Saturday. We're going to dinner."

Suddenly, a familiar voice broke into the conversation.

"Neville?"

Harry, Ron, and Neville whirled around to see none other than Hannah Abbot standing in the doorway of the pub, followed by several of her friends. Neville blushed. "Hi, Hannah," he murmured. She smiled.

"I take it you're here for the same reasons as me, then?" she asked, before turning to her girlfriends. "All right then, here's the secret… Neville asked me to marry him!"

There was a universal squeal as Hannah was buried in girls. The three boys rolled their eyes and Harry ordered another round of drinks before Hannah and the girls joined them.

Soon, everyone was a little tipsy, and Ron was getting nervous. All this talk of marriage was making his pocket burn uncomfortably… as he glanced down to check and make sure it wasn't on fire, Neville's slurring, more-than-slightly-drunk voice realized his worst fear.

"So, Ron, when're you an' Hermione plannin' on tyin' th' knot?"

Everyone else fell silent and turned to him as he stared firmly into his Butterbeer.

"Um, well, you see… I haven't really… uh, planned a time yet… I may-"

"Oh, Ron? Is that you?"

Harry looked up. "Hey, Hermione!"

Ron's stomach dropped to his feet.

))((

**A/N: **Want to find out what happens next? You'll just have to keep checking to see when the sequel comes out! It won't be as long as Impossibly Insufferable, but hopefully everyone will enjoy it just as much!

Now, on to my unending gratitude!

Most importantly, I'd like to recognize **Your Valensi,** who inspired me to write this story a few months back- her reviews were always honest and helpful, and she inspired the idea for the end of one of my other stories. Basically, everyone who enjoyed this story owes her an awful lot! (And you should go check out her stuff- it's really great!)

I'd also like to thank **Kathrynia **for following me from my first story to this one and always having a review for me, **rh4eva, **for being an honest critic and sticking with me from the beginning of this story, and **TaylorxxSue**, who's reviewed a ton of my work and was there for all my updates. Thanks so much!

AND NOW, **THE MASSIVE LIST OF AWESOMENESS**! This contains the name of every person who reviewed from Chapter One to Chapter Seventeen! You are all fantastic and I thank you from the very bottom of my heart! (I'd love to thank everyone who alerted and faved this story, too, but there are too many names for me to make a list- please accept this heartfelt thanks, anyways!)

**x3naa**, **destinywriter99**, **baum-de-La-soL**, **Mina**, **KaceyO**, **Tess**, **VampireWizard93**, **sjt1988**, **Holly** **Inks**, **chewing-gum-addicted**, **sums96**, **lulu halulu**, **IheartRonaldWeasley**, **Kristiepits**, **asta123pasta**, **OldSnake117**, **ctc**, **You Know Who**, **wow60**, **VampiresWizardsCentaursOhmy**, **geekyandproud**, **VeroKan**, **Miss Slomojo**, **catlady45**, **amber'eyed'countess**, **somber**-**quill**, **louisa**, **Blueberry-Pie2**, **deciesjo**, **Wierdgirl5834**, **Teela's** **Snakestaff**, **Broken** **Gold**, **Melora**, **imoved**, **anjaeldest15**, **CutewithAcapital**-**Q**, **Gedwayignasia**, **Alien** **Emerald**, **zaz14** **is** **potter** **mad**, **Ezekiel's** **Home-made Moonshine**, **Tesco Metro**, **Moony's daughter**, **meandevil**, **PInk MegAmOUtH SHeEp**, **lyrical-harmonies**, **Cantletharrygo**, **Oobe**, , **mugglemama**, **ObsessedRHShipper**, **scandal-manhatten**, **BeforeItsTooLate**, **Anon1**, **Amo Scrivere**, **amanda**, **topaz** **addiction**, **twilightgirl10194**, **Shlesha**, **xultravioletx**, **theessenceofmurtlap**, **Amy**, **sammy**, **Erin**, **SisterSunflower**, **kitkatgal37**, **i'm ron weasley**, **afossil92**, **Starr22**, **Emma**-**Lynn**, **emilyjean1**, **ForgottenLovedOne**, **HPlovaa**, **violeteyedkitten**, **Guzzin'** **Girl**, **Anon**, **KarateCutie987**, **jewelofmyeye**, **wired2damoon**, **AddictedToPotterAndProudOfIt**, **mishma**, **Goha**, **Grace**, **the** **LIME-GREEN color**, **krymsunkiss52**, **BellaLrox**, **~~Jessica**, **Elmyralove**, **writersz cramp**, **rgauthier**, **Indy-x**, **kareem33**, **tic tac toe 03**, **NasuadaNightstalker**, **aa16mm**, **mclaughlin**, **AryaEragonPrincessShadeslayer**, **SeaStar**, **campanula1979**, **l4dym00nsh1n3**, **roseweasley4eva**, **Daniella**, **laya3**, **LOVEISNEUTRAL**, **Audrey W. Gailey**, **PhantomoftheWickedCats**, **downfromhell**, **Princessenr1**, **ron/hermionetrooper**, **Entindra**, **Too Young To Be Serious**, **tristesse-joie**, **stargirl0507**, **Brilliantseeker**, **Alquimista**, **Keely**, **weasleyismyking15**, **..KIMBO**, **Koolness**, **Spicysweetchica101**, **dristi**, **Brittanya**, **Dark Child Productions**, **Nani Kakau**, **Michelle**, **ZeraPotterCullen**, **ade**., **Kathrynia**, **TaylorxxSue**, **rh4eva**, **Your Valensi**

I owe all of you so much- through this story, I've learned a lot about writing and all the things that go with it, and a lot of it I learned from you. It's going to be really sad to leave it behind. All of you have been instrumental to this story's continuation, and are reason I keep writing… thank you, THANK you, THANK YOU!

And now, my final signature for this story…

))Riiko Shea((


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